


Sixteen Rules

by alicedragons



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underswap, Angst, Damn it why do I always have to throw in angst, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Drinking, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Violence, Papyrus-centric, Phone Sex, Porn With Plot, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Sex Tapes, Sexual Humor, Smut, Soul Sex, Vaginal Sex, Video Cameras, kind of, only a little bit, this is pretty lighthearted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-01-18 12:35:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 52,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12388203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alicedragons/pseuds/alicedragons
Summary: “But first,” said Fell, “we need to lay down some rules.”Number one: No telling our brothersNumber two: No sleeping in the same bedNumber three: Absolutely NO getting attachedFell and Swap decide to embark on a casual relationship. No feelings. No attachment. Just sex. As long as they stick to the rules they should be fine… right?





	1. Arrangement

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! And welcome to alicedragon's shameless (sort of), self-indulgent Spicyhoney smut fic. Seriously. This is just smut. If that isn't your thing I would definitely not recommend this fic! But, if you are just as smitten for these idiots as I am, then enjoy the ride! It is. literally. just. porn.  
> Okay, well having said that, there is some plot and humour stuff thrown in - (and inevitably, angst, because I'm still me, and I love angst) - and maayyybe (probably) some fluff later on.  
> On that note though, I will still put any necessary trigger warnings in the endnotes of each chapter, since there might be some minor stuff later on that I'd rather not risk leaving untagged so take care of yourselves!  
> With that out of the way, please enjoy my shameless sinning!

Fell opened the front door to his house, grumbling to himself. It had been a very tiresome day at work – too many monsters in this town didn’t understand the meaning of the word _respect,_ and Undyne was getting all iffy about dusting too many people. Buzzkill, Fell thought. His job had been a lot easier when he could just dust whoever got on his nerves.

Tossing his keys onto the coffee table, he trudged towards the kitchen, figuring maybe a drink or two would help him calm down a little. To his surprise, he found the kitchen occupied. Ugh, speaking of people who got on his nerves. “What are you doing here, asshole?”

The tall, lanky skeleton turned around, a smirk on his face. Swap was one of Fell’s counterparts from a different universe, and had been visiting their world rather frequently since the strange anomaly had occurred, creating a rift between the various universes. In complete honesty, Swap was probably one of Fell’s least favourite twins – he pissed him off to no end. Eighty percent of the time, he had a cigarette between his teeth. Ninety percent of the time, he had that annoying smirk one his face, his eye sockets always lidded, lazily. And one hundred percent of the time, he was annoying as fuck. Fell couldn’t stand him. But, unfortunately, his brother Red was very close with Swap’s brother, Blue, so Fell often found himself having to tolerate his prick of a counterpart.

“If I’d known you’d be home so soon, I honestly would’ve avoided the place entirely,” Swap drawled, earning a glare from Fell. He sat down at the kitchen table, placing a cigarette between his teeth, and drawing out his lighter. Fell glowered, and snatched the lighter out of his hand.

“No smoking in my kitchen, ashtray. Go the fuck home if you wanna do that.”

Swap rolled his golden eye-lights, putting the cigarette away. “Heh, whatever, jackass.” Fell scowled at the lazy skeleton before him, and shoved his lighter in his pocket, earning him a frown. “Um, that’s mine,” Swap pointed out.

“You can have this back when you get the fuck out of my house,” Fell snapped, and Swap chuckled, shrugging.

“Well, I can’t leave until my brother gets back, so I guess you’re stuck with me.” He grinned, and Fell rolled his eye-lights.

“Just shut your mouth and we won’t have any problems.”

“Can’t make any promises.”

“Go to hell.”

“I’m in your kitchen, Fell – and you’re here. I’m already in hell.”

“Fuck you.”

Swap smirked. “Maybe later, tough guy.”

Fell flushed, glowering, before making his way over to his liquor cabinet, drawing out a large bottle of bourbon. He poured himself a glass, and was about to put the bottle back when he glanced at Swap, who was leaning back on his chair, feet on the kitchen table. “If you get your filthy shoes off my table I might pour you a glass, too,” Fell said. Swap looked up, his expression coloured with amusement.

“You trying to get me drunk, Fell?”

“No, asshole, I’m trying to get you to take your feet off my damn table,” Fell snapped. Swap looked unfazed, eyeing the bourbon dubiously.

“I don’t like bourbon.”

“Do you like getting slapped?”

“Only sometimes.” Swap winked, and Fell scowled. Deciding that it was useless arguing with this prick, he marched over to Swap, grabbed the back of his chair, and pulled it roughly, causing Swap to drop his feet off the table in an effort to keep his balance. “Okay, okay, calm down you little brat. I’ll take some honey if you have any.” He gave Fell a mock-polite smile, and Fell scowled, rolling his eyes.

“We don’t. It’s a filthy drink.”

If Fell had been hoping his remark would annoy Swap, he was sorely disappointed. His doppelgänger’s smirk only widened, and he shrugged. “Alright, how about cider? Come on, Fell, don’t leave me high and dry here.”

Fell scowled, turning away. “Whatever, ashtray.”

He poured both of their drinks, before sitting across from Swap, scowling at him over his glass. Swap continued to smirk, lazily sipping his cider. Fell was pleased when he grimaced slightly at the taste. Underfell food and drink was renowned for being a little less delectable than that of most other universes. Particularly Underswap. Everything was so damn sweet there. After a few moments of silence, Swap placed his glass on the table, eyeing Fell curiously. “So, how are things with, uh… what was his name? MTT?”

“Mettaton,” Fell corrected. “And we broke up.” Swap didn’t look surprised.

“Didn’t see that coming,” he said, sarcastically, and Fell frowned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Swap shrugged. “He was way too high maintenance for you. No offence, but you’re not exactly, uh… what’s the word I’m looking for – oh yes, nice.”

“I’m nice!” Fell snapped, defensively, and Swap grinned.

“You’re kidding right? Dude, come on.”

Fell sighed, conceding. “Right. Whatever, point taken. So why does that make Mettaton and I incompatible?” He paused for a moment, frowning. “Not that I care about your opinion.”

Swap chuckled. “Well, since you asked, Mettaton is the type of person who adores praise – I guess you two have that in common. Little brats who love attention.” Swap smirked, eye-lights challenging, and Fell grumbled something about showing Swap who the little brat was, but otherwise refused to rise to his bait. “But you… you can’t deal with that. You’re too, hmm… self-involved.”

“Fuck you, I’m not self-involved!” Fell growled.

“Yeah, maybe self-involved isn’t the right word,” Swap said, nodding, seeming unfazed by Fell’s anger. “It’s more like… you don’t have time to care about other people’s feelings.”

“You basically just described what it means to be self-involved,” Fell pointed out, bitterly. Swap considered, then shrugged, nodding.

“Yeah, I guess you are self-involved then, my bad.”

“Great. Well thanks for pointing out my flaws, you twat,” Fell grumbled, finishing his drink.

“Hey, who said it was a flaw?”

“Of course, how could I forget?” Fell rolled his eye-lights, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “To a prick like you, being self-centred seems like a good thing.”

“That’s not what I mean, idiot,” said Swap, rolling his own eyes in return. “I just mean, you don’t put up with people’s bitching. You’re all about the tough love and the rest of that crap. That’s why you and MTT didn’t work out. He’s too much of a prima donna.”

“Well, thanks for critically analysing my relationship, asshole, but we actually broke up because he was cheating on me.” Fell scowled, looking away.

“Ooh, that’s rough,” said Swap, wincing. “So I take it the break up was messy?”

“He’s probably crying in his room right now,” Fell said, dryly. “He was pretty beaten up about it. Stupid prat.”

“Heh, so you think he’s still into you?”

“If he’d been into me in the first place, he wouldn’t have cheated,” Fell grumbled.

“Alright.” Swap paused, as if in thought. “Heh, you wanna get revenge?” he asked at length, a devious smirk playing onto his features. Fell raised his brow bone.

“Hmm, revenge? You have my attention.”

Swap’s smirk widened. “Awesome. Fuck me.”

Fell froze. “E-Excuse me?”

“Yeah, you heard me. Fuck me, it’ll make him jealous. It doesn’t have to mean anything.” Swap seemed awfully blasé about this sudden proposal, and Fell was rather taken aback.

“You… you want me to—to sleep with you to get back at Mettaton?”

“Yeah, why not?” said Swap, shrugging. He took another sip of his drink. “I’m feeling pretty horny so…”

“Seriously? You’re feeling horny?” Fell gave Swap a dubious look.

“Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not because of you, brat.” Swap rolled his eye-lights. Fuck, that was really starting to piss Fell off. “But seems like fucking each other right now would be, hmm… mutually beneficial.”

Fell frowned. “Well, why should I fuck you?” he asked, quizzically. “I could head over to Grillby’s right now and fuck anyone I liked. Why should I help you out? I don’t care if you’re horny.”

Swap shrugged, seeming unperturbed. “I’m here already. No need to go to Grillby’s. And…” He looked up at Fell, smirking slightly, “don’t tell me you haven’t wondered what it’s like to fuck yourself.” Fell’s eye sockets widened, and he felt a faint jolt that went straight to his crotch as he saw Swap briefly flick his suddenly conjured ecto-tongue over his teeth.

He sighed, pausing and considering. He couldn’t deny, since being introduced to the prospect of multiple universes, he had been rather curious about his twins. Although, his curiosity was often morphed into irritation when he was around Swap. Still…

“Fine,” he said, resolutely. “Whatever. I’ll fuck you.” Swap grinned, finishing his drink.

“Awesome.” He started to stand up.

“But first,” said Fell, holding up a hand, “we need to lay down some rules.” Swap sighed, sitting down.

“Yeah, okay, fair enough.”

“Firstly,” Fell began, “no telling our brothers. They’re meddlesome little fuckers and they’d just make a big thing about it.” Swap nodded.

“Agreed. Anything else?”

“Secondly – no sleeping in the same bed.” Fell narrowed his eye sockets. “And since I’m not going anywhere near that garbage dump of yours that you call a bedroom, that means this little arrangement will take place in _my_ bed. So _you’re_ going to have to be the one to vacate the premises once we’re… finished.”

Swap frowned. “Well that doesn’t seem fair, I thought this was supposed to be a two-way thing?”

“It is,” said Fell, “I’m the one who has to clean up your mess in the morning.”

Swap scoffed. “Please, you’re gonna be the one drooling everywhere when I get my hands on—”

“And thirdly,” Fell interrupted, “absolutely _no_ getting attached.”

“Oh please, like I’d—”

“This is sex only,” Fell continued, ignoring Swap. “No cuddling, no dating—kissing is fine, just keep it… platonic.” Swap snorted. “But _no_ relationship stuff. You got it?”

“Yes, sir,” said Swap, saluting. Fell rolled his eyes. “You’re pretty easy to hate, so I think I’ll be fine.”

“Same goes for you,” said Fell, dryly.

“Okay, now bedroom stuff – anything I should know?” Swap asked. Fell paused, considering.

“Hmm… rule number four: no soul stuff,” he said, after a few moments. “That’s reserved for people I actually like.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Fell thought some more. “I can top or bottom, it doesn’t really bother me. You have any preference?”

“Eh… not really,” said Swap, shrugging. “I guess if I had to pick I’d bottom, but I want at least one opportunity where I get to see you on all fours.” He grinned, and Fell rolled his eye-lights.

“Right. On that note – dirty talk is okay, just… nothing too weird. I imagine you’re into that.”

Swap shrugged. “On occasion. But I’ll keep it to a minimum.”

“Oh and – rule number five: no tying me up,” Fell said. “I’ll do it to you… if you want. But for me, it’s a no-go.”

Swap nodded. “Simple enough. Safe word?”

Fell considered. “Well… since my brother’s name is Red, the whole red light, green light thing might be a bit awkward.” Swap snickered. “So how about we just keep it simple. Multiverse?”

“Hmm, it’s a bit long,” Swap pointed out. “What if you’re screaming my name and you can’t get the whole word out?” Fell gave Swap an impassive look.

“Fine then. Multi?”

Swap smirked. “Why? Because we’re about to multip—”

“Right, I get it.” Fell scowled. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to fuck you, stupid prick. Whatever, it’s simple, easy to remember. Let’s just stick with it.” Swap shrugged, and they both fell silent. After a while, Fell cleared his throat. “So, um, anything else?”

“Eh, nah, we can add to the list later. Let’s just get to the good part.”

“Yes, sounds good. But first…” Fell stood, wandering back over to where he’d left his bourbon. “I need another drink.”

Swap smirked. “Need to dull your inhibitions before you fuck me?”

“Precisely.”

“Eh, better get me another one too then,” said Swap, coming to stand beside Fell, who rolled his eyes, withdrawing the cider from the cabinet once again. Once he’d poured their drinks, they stood in silence, slowly sipping on them.

Fell took the opportunity to give Swap a once-over. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to do this. He couldn’t deny he’d been mildly interested in what his counterparts were like in bed, but he’d never thought he’d actually get to find out. His lanky twin was slouching slightly, leaning against the counter with that casual— _annoying—_ look about him. Fell had never been fond of his lazy demeanour. In fact, everything about this asshole irked him to no end.

After a few minutes, he finished his drink, placing the empty glass on the countertop. Swap still seemed to have a fair way to go with his drink, sipping it languidly. Fell scowled, tapping his gloved fingers on the counter surface. “Just take your time, why don’t you?” he said, eyeing Swap with irritation. Swap only smirked.

“Eager, are we? Don’t worry, I’m worth the wait.” He gave Fell a sidelong glance, his amber eye-lights flashing. Fell impatiently continued to tap his fingers, watching as Swap slowly downed the remainder of his drink. Once he was done, he placed the glass on the countertop, and turned to regard Fell, sockets lidded. “Okay, done. Let’s get to the point.”

Without warning, Swap brought a hand to the back of Fell’s skull, pulling him close, and pressing their teeth together. Fell gave a surprised gasp, before leaning into the kiss, already feeling Swap’s conjured tongue pressing against his teeth, seeking entrance. He opened his mouth, meeting Swap’s tongue with his own, and pushing him back, so that he was the one dominating the kiss. He pressed Swap against the kitchen counter, forcing him to grasp onto the edge of it with his free hand. Fell trailed a hand down Swap’s spine, pulling him closer, grinding their hips together gently. Swap hummed, softly, and his hand dropped to the back of Fell’s neck, pressing him closer against his mouth.

Fell slowly slid his tongue into Swap’s mouth, exploring the smooth crevices of his bones. Swap tasted surprisingly sweet, almost like honey, and Fell found himself licking against his magic in an attempt to taste more of him. Swap dragged his tongue along Fell’s teeth, and Fell sighed into the feeling of the other skeleton’s sweet, warm magic. Suddenly, he felt Swap grasp him firmly through his pants, where his magic had already begun to coalesce.

“Let’s not forget why we’re here,” Swap murmured against his mouth, and Fell found himself scowling. He drew back slightly, glaring deliberately into Swap’s golden eye-lights, and slowly removed his gloves. He then gripped both of Swap’s hands in his own, pinning them to the countertop. Swap’s breath hitched, and Fell used the opportunity to delve his tongue deep into the other skeleton’s mouth, pushing him hard against the counter. He ground their hips together, hard, earning a soft moan from Swap. He could already feel the warm glow of Swap’s golden magic through his trousers, and he smirked slightly, beginning to trail his tongue down Swap’s jaw. He slowly dragged his tongue down to the vertebrae of Swap’s neck, eliciting a small gasp from the lazier skeleton.

“Hmm, so you _are_ good with your tongue,” Swap murmured. “Figures.” Fell lifted a hand from the countertop, and shoved three fingers into Swap’s mouth.

“Shut up,” he growled, scraping his teeth over the sensitive discs at Swap’s neck. He felt Swap chuckling, but other than that, he didn’t make a sound, apart from the soft humming as he licked over Fell’s phalanges. The sensation sent a burning jolt of arousal straight to Fell’s forming magic, and he ground his hips against Swap’s once again, hard. He felt Swap press his thigh between his legs, creating a satisfying friction against his hot magic. Fell growled, and latched his teeth onto Swap’s neck, extracting a sharp gasp from the other skeleton.

“Hah, rule number six,” Swap panted, as Fell rutted their hips together, “no doing it in the kitchen.” Fell paused, looking up. Swap was smirking, as always, but there was something a little more intense in his eye-lights.

“Good point. We don’t need you sullying up our nice, clean parlour.”

Swap scoffed. “The only thing I’m sullying is—hmm!” He broke off as Fell pressed their mouths together once again, his tongue pushing into Swap’s mouth immediately, silencing him. After a few moments, he drew away.

“Bedroom?”

Swap nodded, and Fell led him out of the kitchen, hurrying up the stairs, and all but slamming the bedroom door open, before their mouths were pressed together again. Swap clutched onto Fell’s shirt, pulling him close. Fell kicked the bedroom door closed behind him, before bringing one hand to the back of Swap’s neck, and trailing the other down his ribs. He stopped when he reached the area where he could feel Swap’s warm magic radiating through his pants. He pressed his hand against it, and felt a smirk playing onto his face. “Bottoming tonight?” he asked, licking over Swap’s jaw.

“I’m in the mood,” Swap replied, shrugging, trailing a single phalange down Fell’s spine, causing him to shiver.

“Good,” Fell growled, pushing Swap back onto the bed, so that he was in a sitting position. He leaned over the lanky skeleton, gently shoving him down, so that he was lying on his back, Fell kneeling on the edge of the bed between his legs. He slowly ground their hips together, creating a wonderful friction that drew a moan from both of them.

Fell was already half-hard in his pants, which were beginning to feel rather tight. He felt Swap trail a hand down his lower back, pressing their bodies closer together. Fell kissed him hard, their tongues intertwining. “Hm, it’s ironic that you taste so sweet,” he murmured, as he licked over Swap’s teeth, “because you’re such a foul person.” He winced as Swap suddenly grasped his erection through his pants, giving it a squeeze.

“Hmm, talk dirty to me, Fell.” Swap grinned, and began to undo the buckle of Fell’s pants. Fell slapped his hand away, and Swap gave him a quizzical look, raising his brow bone.

“You’re bottoming, so you first,” said Fell, and Swap shrugged. Fell kissed him again, sliding his thumb over the smooth bones of Swap’s jaw. He trailed his thumb to the corner of Swap’s mouth, and slowly slid the digit in, running it along Swap’s tongue. Swap sucked on his finger, drawing it further into his mouth. Fell smirked, drawing away slightly to give Swap an inquisitive look. “You have an oral fixation or something?” Swap gave him a derisive look, raising his brow bone.

“You’re the one who keeps shoving your fingers in my mouth,” he pointed out. Fell frowned, before pressing two more phalanges into Swap’s mouth, pushing them right to the back of his mouth, and forcing Swap to bite down on them. He smirked at the surprised look on the other skeleton’s face.

“Maybe I’ll shove them up your arse next,” he snickered. Swap muttered something that sounded like ‘kinky’, so Fell just rolled his eye-lights, and focused his attention on the vertebrae of Swap’s neck, which were already streaked with crimson magic and saliva. He bent his head, fingers still pressed into Swap’s mouth, and began running his tongue over the bones there, leaving a fresh trail of red magic. He could feel Swap panting against his fingers. “Hmm, I think it’s about time we take this thing off,” Fell murmured, lifting Swap’s hoodie up his ribs. He pulled it over his head, discarding it on the floor, so that only Swap’s black undershirt remained, before returning his tongue to the vertebrae of his neck, trailing his tongue down until he reached the other skeleton’s sternum.

“You ever planning on—ngh!” Swap’s words were cut off as Fell pressed his thumb into the other skeleton’s mouth once again.

“Silence please, asshole.”

Fell couldn’t see Swap’s face, but he assumed he was rolling his eyes. He smirked and slowly lifted Swap’s shirt, uncovering his ribs. He trailed his tongue down Swap’s sternum, earning him a soft sigh, Swap’s breathing becoming heavier. When he reached the bottom of his ribs, he paused for a moment. Right here, at this point, he could feel the faint glow of the other skeleton’s soul within his chest. But he quickly withdrew, remembering his own rule about souls. Thumb still pressed into Swap’s mouth, Fell began to run his hand down Swap’s vertebrae below his ribs, pausing when he reached the waistband of his pants.

“You gonna tease me all night, or…?”

Fell glanced up at Swap, who, despite his casual tone, was looking rather flustered. His cheek bones were flushed a pale shade of orange, and there was a thin trail of drool dribbling down his chin. Fell smirked, and leaned down to press his tongue against Swap’s clavicle, enjoying the way his breaths slowly became deeper, more laboured. He trailed up to his jaw, then pressed his mouth to the side of Swap’s skull.

“Hmm, I wonder how wet you are,” he purred, dipping his hand below the waistband of Swap’s trousers. Fell heard Swap’s breath hitch as he pressed a single phalange between his folds, feeling his slick magic already dripping from his conjured entrance. “Well, my little pet, it seems my teasing has paid off.” Fell languidly ran his finger over Swap’s folds, earning him a needy whine. “You’re soaked.” He gradually began to rub Swap’s swollen clit, drawing a series of soft whimpers from him, his breath coming in short pants.

“Gah—asshole.”

Fell snickered, slipping his tongue along Swap’s teeth, feeling the other’s conjured golden magic still sliding against his thumb. He slowly pushed his tongue into Swap’s mouth, feeling his breathless gasps as he worked his clitoris. He suddenly pressed a finger against Swap’s entrance, causing him to gasp, his head dropping back. “Mm, I must say, I much prefer you when you’re not speaking,” Fell hummed, Swap still whimpering beneath his touch. He slowly slid the digit into Swap’s entrance, and began pumping it in and out, eliciting a string of whines and moans from Swap.

“F-Fell, please—ah—s-stop teasing me, you—hah—a-asshole!”

Fell smirked, and bent down to kiss Swap again, leisurely running his tongue over the other’s honey-coloured magic. He gradually pressed a second digit in, and a low whine escaped Swap. He brought a hand up to cover his mouth, but Fell wasn’t having it. He pulled Swap’s hand away, pinning it to the bed above his head, and kissed him again, this time pushing his tongue forcefully into Swap’s mouth, and pressing their bodies together. When he drew away, he regarded Swap with amusement. The lanky skeleton’s expression was strained, his teeth gritted into a grimace, his eyes watering slightly.

“Hmm, why do you never try to stop yourself from making noise when you’re normally speaking? It would make my life a lot more pleasant.”

“Ngh—f-fuck off,” Swap groaned, as Fell scissored his fingers inside him. “Ah—what was the deal of—of this arrangement again?” Swap panted, pushing his hips forward in an attempt to gain more stimulation from Fell’s fingers. “Was it to—b-bore me to death with your—ah—bitching, or—were—were you meant to be—hah—f-fucking me?” Fell sneered down at Swap, and halted the movements of his fingers suddenly, drawing a whimper from the other skeleton. “N-no, please…”

“Nyeh heh, you don’t seem very bored to me,” Fell observed. “But…” he lowered Swap’s hand, bringing it to rest on his arousal, the crimson glow very visible through his pants. He heard Swap’s breath hitch, and he smiled. “I do believe it’s my turn.” A lustful expression crossed Swap’s face, his golden eye-lights flickering slightly. Fell undid the buckle of his pants, and slowly slid them down his femurs, letting them drop around his ankles. His crimson ecto-cock was completely erect now, and he saw Swap flick his tongue over his teeth as he gazed at him. The sight made his cock twitch, and he placed his hands on Swap’s shoulders. “Turn over,” he instructed.

Swap raised his brow bone, giving him a quizzical look. “Why?”

Fell sighed in exasperation, rolling his eye-lights. “Do you wanna get fucked or not? Just do it.”

Swap scowled, sticking his tongue out slightly between his teeth, before obliging, turning so that he was bent over the side of the bed, his elbows resting on the grey sheets. “S’pose it’s better this way,” he said. “I don’t have to see your stupid face.” Fell glowered, even though he knew Swap couldn’t see it.

“Hmm, but I get the full view,” he murmured. “But indeed. I am grateful that your face isn’t part of it. Asshole.”

“Brat.”

“Alright, get your stupid pants off, ashtray.” Swap turned to glare at him, but obliged, kicking his pants off, so that Fell could see his amber coloured pussy for the first time. The sight of Swap’s magic, dripping wet, sent a jolt of arousal to his cock. “Hmm, climb up on the bed.” Fell was struggling to remain composed, precum already starting to trickle from the head of his cock. Swap clambered onto the sheets, a little gingerly, kneeling so that he was on all fours, and Fell positioned himself so that he was kneeling behind him, his cock inches from Swap’s entrance. He couldn’t stop the way his tongue licked over his teeth, and he brought a hand to trail down Swap’s spine, causing him to shudder.

“Fell, for f-fuck’s sake, are you ever going to—hmm…”

Swap trailed off as Fell rubbed the head of his cock over his entrance, pressing it gently between his folds. The slight stimulation sent a flicker of pleasure through Fell, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to thrust forward. He leaned over Swap, wrapping an arm around his ribs, dragging his sharpened phalanges over them. “Maybe if you stop talking, you’ll actually get what you want.” Fell trailed a finger under Swap’s chin. “You know how much I love it when you’re silent.” Swap mumbled something inaudible under his breath. “What was that, asshole?”

“Nothing, twat.”

“Hm, didn’t think so.”

“Just fuck me.”

“Sure thing.”

Fell pulled Swap closer to him, grasping him by the hips, his cock pressed against his entrance. Then, he pushed in, hard, and Swap cried out, dropping onto his elbows. “Ah—oh, fuck.”

Fell went still, leaning over so that his mouth was level with the side of Swap’s skull. “You okay?”

“Just—just fucking move, brat!”

Fell smirked. “Hm, you didn’t ask very nicely, but I can feel you clenching around me so—hah—as you wish.”

Fell slowly pressed further in, drawing a deep moan from Swap, who was panting heavily. He then gradually pulled back up, before pushing in again, the feeling of Swap’s tight entrance around his unbearably hard cock sending waves of pleasure through him. He began to pick up his pace, thrusting into Swap’s warm magic, pushing deeper and deeper each time. Swap was whining and moaning beneath him, his fists grasping onto the sheets of the bed. “Oh—fuck—yes, Fell—ngh—harder, please, fuck—oh, harder, you stupid—ah! You stupid brat!”

Fell pressed his body flush against Swap’s, hilting inside him, his arm wrapped around Swap’s torso. He grunted, feeling Swap clenching around him and letting out a needy moan as Fell pulled back slightly, before thrusting into him again, hard, stretching Swap’s magic to its limits. He picked up his pace, and began relentlessly fucking Swap, pulling him close against him, able to feel the pleasant heat from his bones. “Mm, fuck, Swap… who knew you’d—hm—feel so good, fucking prick…”

Swap didn’t seem capable of answering, his words lost in a series desperate cries and moans, his breathing ragged and uneven. Fell continued to pound into him, unrelenting, pulling Swap tightly against him, pressing himself into the other skeleton’s back, panting against his neck. The sight of Swap beneath him, gasping breathlessly, sweat beading on his skull, sent a surge of eagerness through Fell, and he continued to fuck him, earnestly, revelling in the sweet cries of pleasure falling from his counterpart’s mouth. “Ah—Fell, yes—please, ah!”

Fell continued thrusting into Swap, progressively picking up his pace, slamming his hips against Swap’s, panting as he began to feel a building pressure in his cock. “F-fuck, Swap, I—I’m close,” he gasped against the back of Swap’s neck. His left arm still wrapped around Swap’s ribs, Fell brought his right hand beneath their bodies, reaching down and gripping onto Swap’s hips, pulling him closer, creating more friction between them.

Swap groaned, dropping his head as Fell continued to pound into him, his pace still merciless. Fell trailed a single phalange over Swap’s hips, until he reached his pussy. He pressed the digit between his folds, and started rubbing slow circles against Swap’s swollen clit, gradually increasing his pace until it matched that of his cock. Fucking him as he touched him, Fell drew a string of delicious whines and moans from his counterpart.

“Oh—oh fuck, yes—ah, Fell—yes, fuck—I’m s-so close—gah! Oh, Fell—fuck—hah…” Fell could feel Swap shaking slightly beneath him, his walls clenching around his cock, and he could tell the other skeleton was reaching his peak. He brought his hand up from Swap’s clit, and pressed the digits into his mouth, feeling Swap licking his own magic from his phalanges. The feeling of the other skeleton’s warm magic, sliding over his fingers, was enough to push Fell over the edge. “Oh, yes… fuck, you little asshole… hah—I’m going to—ah, fuck…”

Fell groaned as he came, waves of pleasure running through his bones. He dropped both his hands to the bed on either side of Swap, clutching onto the sheets. Fell continued to thrust into him, releasing his magic inside him, and he suddenly felt Swap’s pussy convulsing around him, indicating he’d reached his climax too. He could see Swap biting down on his fist, stifling a deep moan.

Once Fell had ridden out his orgasm, he pulled out of Swap, collapsing onto the bed beside him, lying on his back, panting. Swap did the same, rolling onto his back, and bringing an arm up to his forehead, closing his eyes. They both lay there for a few moments, breathing heavily, enjoying the afterglow of their orgasms.

“Fuck, Fell, you’re damn good in bed,” Swap said, after a few minutes, his breaths still short. Fell grunted in response, turning to face Swap. There was still sweat dripping from his forehead, and a mixture of red and orange magic splashed around his pelvic bone. Small trails of pale orange drool ran down his chin. Fell frowned.

“Ugh, you’re a complete mess, get out of my bed.”

Swap turned, glaring at him. “Wow, no rest for the wicked.”

“Yes. You remember the rules, do you not?”

Swap rolled his eye-lights. “Yeah, dick, I remember the rules,” he said, sardonically. “But the rules say ‘no sleeping in the same bed’, not – ‘kick your bottom out of bed less than two minutes after you come inside him because he’s a bit messy’. Rude little brat,” Swap muttered, and Fell scowled.

“Fine, you may stay for _five minutes._ But no more. I don’t need trash in my bed for so long, jackass.”

“Fine.”

They both turned over, facing away from each other. Fell could hear Swap’s breathing in the still, quietness of the room. He scowled. “Could you not breathe so loud?”

“Why? Is it distracting?” Swap’s tone was scornful.

“Yes, and irksome. I don’t need to be alerted to your presence at every waking moment. I already know you’re there, and that’s bad enough.”

“Loving this pillow talk, I feel so cherished.”

Fell rolled his eye-lights. “You’re not supposed to feel cherished, idiot, that’s the point.”

“Heh, well at least you’re a good fuck, even if you’re a complete prat.” Swap lifted himself up off the bed. “I’m gonna go take a shower.”

“Don’t take too long or you’ll waste all the hot water,” Fell called after him. Swap flipped him the finger, gathering up his clothes before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Fell flopped back down on his back, closing his eyes. Well, that hadn’t been so bad. Swap was still an intolerable twat, but at least he was good in bed, Fell decided. He didn’t mind this arrangement at all. Not getting attached to someone as abhorrent as Swap would be the easiest thing he’d ever have to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to let me know if there's anything I should add to the tags!  
> ~~~I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this self-indulgent spicyhoney trash fic~~~


	2. It's Showtime!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Fell and Swap decide to take their relationship--*cough* sorry--their "arrangement" to the next level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: this chapter is pretty intense. Feel free to shame me.  
> Minor warnings in the end notes.

“See ya later, Boss, I’m visiting Blue.”

Fell looked up from where he was sitting on the sofa. Red was standing at the front door, looking rather sheepish. He was carrying a bag over his shoulder, which Fell glanced over with narrowed eye sockets. “Is that… an overnight bag?” he asked. Red’s eyes widened.

“Er… no.” Fell raised his brow bone. “Okay, yeah,” Red admitted. “But Blue wanted to celebrate Alphys taking his training to the next level with a, uh…” Red flushed hotly “… a sleepover.”

“A sleepover?” Fell snorted. “Aren’t you a little old for sleepovers, brother?”

Red’s blush deepened, and he glared. “I’m doing it for a friend, okay! It’s just… a favour. I—I didn’t even want to do it! But, everyone else was busy so…”

Fell smirked. “Well, enjoy your little slumber party. I’ll be at home, acting like an adult.”

Red scowled, opening the door. “It’s no small wonder why you don’t have any friends, Boss,” he said, scathingly, before slamming the door behind him. Fell chuckled to himself and flicked on the TV. His laughter faded though as soon as the screen flickered to life, revealing the glamorous robot he so despised. He glared at the TV, and without thinking, threw the remote with all his strength. It smashed through the screen, leaving a gaping hole, a few small sparks flashing before the image faded, leaving the screen black. Fell had to admit, it wasn’t his proudest moment, but he was satisfied at least, for the time-being, that he wouldn’t be seeing Mettaton’s face again any time soon.

It had been about two weeks since he and Swap had slept together, and since then, he hadn’t seen the lazy skeleton much, except in passing. Fell had, of course, made it his mission to get news of his one night stand to Mettaton – not directly, of course, he wouldn’t go near that odious robot. But unfortunately, the word was that Mettaton didn’t believe him. This irked Fell to no end. He was not happy that his attempt to make his ex jealous had been in vain. However, he did have a back-up plan.

At that moment, there was a knock on the front door. Fell narrowed his eye sockets, frowning. Who could possibly be visiting him? As Red had pointed out – Fell didn’t have any friends. He strode cautiously to the door, opening it slowly.

“’Sup, brat.”

Fell’s eyes widened, the familiar feeling of irritation flaring. “What are you doing here, asshole?” he asked, scowling.

“Please, don’t look so happy to see me,” said Swap sarcastically, rolling his eye-lights. He pushed past Fell into the living room, the rougher skeleton glaring at his retreating back.

“I’m _not_ happy to see you, idiot.” Fell followed Swap as he wandered through the room, glancing around. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“Well,” Swap began, extracting a box of cigarettes from his pocket. He met Fell’s steely gaze for a moment, then sighed, putting them away. “Since our brothers are having their little ‘slumber party’—” Fell snorted “—I figured I could just crash here.” Swap’s gaze fell on the smashed TV screen. “Um. You do know that there’s a remote in your television screen?”

“Shut up,” Fell snapped. “I didn’t ask you to traipse into my home— _uninvited—_ and comment on my choice of décor.” Fell deliberately ignored the barely stifled snicker Swap emitted. “And don’t you have anywhere better to go?”

“As it turns out – I don’t,” said Swap casually, flopping onto the couch. “Sans and Papyrus are never home, Lust is… a little too kinky—even for my tastes.” He offered Fell a wink, which was met with a scathing glare. “And Blackberry and Slim honestly just give me the creeps. So, I’m stuck with you.” Swap gave him a caustic smile. “Believe me, if I had any other options, I’d take them.”

“You do. Go sleep outside.” Fell gave him an apathetic look.

“But Fell,” said Swap, gasping dramatically, “you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to have a _sleepover_ would you?” Swap grinned, and Fell couldn’t help but snort.

“Fine, _fine,”_ Fell conceded with a sigh. “But, since I’m offering you my hospitality… I have a favour to ask in return.”

Swap raised his brow bone. “Oh?”

“It involves our… arrangement.”

Realisation crossed Swap’s features. “Oh.”

“Yes.” Fell cleared his throat. “Well, the thing is, Mettaton didn’t quite buy that I fucked you.”

Swap smirked, and Fell couldn’t help but notice the way he’d spread himself out across the sofa—like he was on display or something. Stupid asshole. “Ah, so he realised that I’m way out of your league.”

Fell glared. “Shut up, asshole. You and I both know who the superior Papyrus is in this room.”

Swap chuckled. “So what do you want me to do? Corroborate your story? Knock on his door and announce that the Great and Terrible Papyrus did, in fact, fuck me.”

Fell scowled, rolling his eye-lights. “No, idiot. I actually had something else in mind.” He paused for a moment, looking away.

“Well, what is it brat? Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“Well, I have this video camera…”

Swap’s eyes widened, and Fell’s soul stuttered. Shit. He definitely wasn’t going to go for this. “Whoa, hold up. You want to film us? Are you serious?”

Fell blushed slightly, and glared at Swap. “Ugh, forget it. I knew you’d make fun of me, twat.”

Swap raised his brow bone. “Make fun of you? Fell, that’s perfect.”

Fell looked at him in surprise. “It—it is?”

“Hell yes. It’s the perfect way to prove to Mettaton that you weren’t lying. Plus, nothing says ‘fuck you, I’m screwing someone else now’ like a good old fashioned sex tape. Heh, maybe he’ll even air it on his show. If we’re lucky.” Swap winked, and a few strange mixed feelings churned in Fell’s soul.

He made a noise that was somewhere between scoffing and gagging. “Ugh. Remind me why I made this arrangement with you, and not some other _less_ deplorable horny bastard?”

“Heh. ‘Cause you’re a fucking narcissist, brat. Who else but the most—sorry, _second_ most—attractive Papyrus?”

Fell rolled his eye-lights. “So is that a yes? To the… film.”

Swap nodded, grinning. “It’s a hell yes. Oh boy, can’t wait to tick this off my bucket list.”

Fell rolled his eye-lights, and began making his way towards the stairs. “Well, come on then. Let’s get this over with.”

Swap looked up, raising his brow bone. “Oh no, no, no.” He lifted himself from his seat, striding over to stop Fell with a light touch of his hand. Fell scowled, brushing him off. “We’re not just ‘getting this over with’, brat. We need to plan. There’s no dress rehearsal when it comes to sex tapes. This is a one-time act.”

Fell smirked. “Well, I wouldn’t be opposed to rehearsing.”

Swap snickered. “Oh, sweetheart, the way this is going to go, you wouldn’t be able to handle more than one round.”

“Oh please, I would—”

“Now, I’m guessing in your relationship with Mettaton, you bottomed?” Swap raised his brow bone, quizzically.

Fell frowned, blushing. “Well w-we—I—I mean, y-yes,” he spluttered, “but—”

“Excellent,” said Swap, clasping his hands together. “I’m topping tonight.”

“Wait, what? Why—”

“Alright, alright – kinks.” Swap seemed to be thinking, as if analysing the situation as one would with an enemy. “Mettaton have any?”

“W-what does this have to do with—”

Swap sighed, looking exasperated. “We need to create the ultimate scenario to make him jealous,” he explained. “He loves topping you? He gets to see someone else doing it. He has any kinks? We use them against him. Loves hearing you scream his name? Scream someone else’s. It’s pretty simple stuff, Fell. You’d think a diabolical genius such as yourself would know this.”

Fell glowered. “Or maybe I’m just not a complete sadist.”

Swap raised his brow bone, nonchalant. “Is Mettaton?”

“N-no!” Fell shook his head profusely, before taking a deep breath, composing himself. “Okay, okay, for fuck’s sake, asshole, just tell me what to do.”

Swap smiled. A duplicitous look that made Fell frown. “Splendid. So, kinks? What are Mettaton’s? It’s important.”

Fell sighed. “Do I really have to do this?”

Swap nodded. “You want to make a sex tape that has him wanking for so long he injures his wrist? You gotta tell me his damn kinks, brat.”

Fell scowled. “Alright, alright. Well, he liked it when I… wore certain things.” He looked away, his cheek bones heating like a Pyrope.

“Certain things? Like what? Come on, bonehead, you have to work with me here.”

Fell grimaced, his hands twisting together. “Okay, asshole, geez. Forgive me for not wanting spill my bedroom secrets to the likes of you.” He sighed, conceding. “He liked it when I wore leather. Especially…” Fell flexed his hands, and Swap’s eyes widened.

“Whips?”

Fell pulled a face. “Ew, no.”

“Hey, no need to kink shame, dick.” Swap seemed to consider for a moment. “So just the gloves then?”

“And… other things,” Fell confessed. Swap raised his brow bone. “Ugh, just—just chokers and stuff.” Fell glared. “But no way I’m wearing one for you, ashtray.”

Swap rolled his eye-lights. “For the last time, this isn’t _for_ me. It’s for him.” He sounded exasperated, but Fell could still detect the usual hint of amusement in his expression. “But fine, fine, fair enough.” He paused again, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand. “Heh, you know, you’re a pretty convenient guy for someone who has a kink for leather. You’re pretty much set.”

Fell scowled. “Whatever, you prick. It’s not like I’d get all dolled up for you anyway.”

Swap grinned, and Fell could’ve sworn he saw a flicker of his amber tongue for a moment. “I’d do it for you.”

Fell was taken aback. “W-what?”

Swap chuckled. “Heh, I’m just messing with you, brat.” He paused, eyes raking over Fell, who suddenly felt very exposed, despite being fully clothed. “So, keep the gloves, pants, and boots,” Swap said at last.

Fell paused for a moment, considering whether or not he should divulge this next bit of information to Swap. Eventually, he sighed, deciding he might as well. It would probably piss Mettaton off to no end—which was the sole reason for this little exercise. That being said, the thought left him with a brighter flush across his cheek bones that couldn’t only be attributed to embarrassment. “I actually have, um… bedroom leather. For lack of a better word.” He scowled as Swap’s face lit up.

“Oh shit. Nice.” And there it was again, that brief flick of Swap’s tongue at the corner of his mouth. Damn it, this idiot pissed him off.

“Yeah well, I wore it a lot… with him. So I guess it’ll make him mad or whatever.” Fell glowered, looking away.

“You sure you won’t wear a choker for me?”

Fell grimaced, looking back up at Swap, who was smiling, hopefully. “Very sure.”

Swap sighed, looking slightly dejected. “Well, it was worth a shot. Still, I suppose the rest of the leather will do.” He grinned. “It does suit you.”

“You seem to be enjoying this far too much,” Fell grumbled.

“Hey, I’m the one doing _you_ the favour, remember?” Swap smirked. “But I’m not going to lie, Fell, the idea of seeing you getting all dressed up for me to fuck you is rather entertaining.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

Swap laughed, a pale golden blush already spreading across his cheek bones. “Just about to, brat. Okay, so anything else? What about dirty talk?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Fell conceded. He figured there was no way avoiding this now. Stars, he should’ve known Swap would want to humiliate him in return for doing him this favour.

“Great. Heh, I’m gonna have fun with this.”

Fell rolled his eyes, and began making his way towards the stairs once again. “Whatever, asshole, I’m going to go get ready if you’re done talking.”

“Wait, one more thing!”

Fell groaned. “What now? I think we’ve layered on the kinks pretty heavily here, jackass.”

Swap shook his head. “No, it’s not that. We need a new rule”

Fell raised his brow bone in surprise. “What is it?”

“No re-watching the sex tape.”

Fell frowned. “Why not?”

Swap gave him a blasé look. “You telling me you want to relive the memories?”

“Ugh, no, you asshole, but—”

“Good. No re-watching the tape.”

There was a strange look in Swap’s eye, but Fell figured he was just embarrassed. “Okay, whatever. I suppose it works out – I’d rather not have to see your stupid face more than I have to.”

Swap smiled. “Exactly. Now, down to business?”

“Sure you don’t have any more questions about my private sex life?”

Swap smirked. “Nah, I’m just about ready to fuck you.”

Fell rolled his eye-lights. “Great. Let’s go make a fucking sex tape.”

 

****

 

“Ha, damn brat. You clean up nice.”

“Oh fuck off, you abhorrent bastard.”

Fell was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, where Swap had set up the camera, pointing it at the bed. He had changed into his ‘kinkier’ leather outfit – minus the choker. It consisted of thigh high, black leather boots, elbow length gloves, and – much to his chagrin – leather underwear, complemented by lace. He’d considered ditching the underwear, but then he’d realised he would be walking into this with absolutely nothing covering his pelvic bone, and that seemed a little more undignified. He’d opted for a simple black tank top, not willing to give Swap the satisfaction of seeing his ribs completely bare.

“You know I kind of have a bit of a kink for leather myself,” said Swap – and there was his goddamn tongue again, licking over his teeth like it was nobody’s business.

“Shut the fuck up,” Fell growled, and Swap grinned.

“Save that dirty talk for the camera, brat.”

“Go to hell. And aren’t you going to wear anything else? This seems awfully… degrading.” Swap hadn’t changed out of his hoodie and tracksuit pants, although he appeared to have discarded his shoes, only wearing white socks now.

“Nah, this isn’t about me,” said Swap, nonchalantly. “All his focus is gonna be on you, it doesn’t matter what I look like.”

“Well, we don’t want to turn him off, do we?” Fell smirked.

Swap snorted, his eye-lights scanning over Fell. “That’s going to be very difficult.”

Fell’s smile faded, replaced by his usual scowl, and he looked away in an attempt to hide the faint crimson blush on his cheek bones. “Whatever, can we just do this already?”

“Absolutely.” Fell looked up as he felt Swap clasp a hand around his, guiding him towards the bed. The camera was standing at its foot, where Swap directed them, sitting Fell down on the edge of it. “You ready?” he asked, hovering beside the camera, his finger over the record button. Fell grimaced.

“I suppose.”

Swap frowned, sighing. “A little more enthusiasm, please.”

“Fuck off.”

“Hey, we have to make it believable. You can’t look like your brother just got dusted, you need to at least _pretend_ to have a good time.” There was a hint of irritation in Swap’s expression, and Fell was a little taken aback. It seemed so out of place on the normally laid-back skeleton’s face.

“Maybe I’ll pretend _you_ just got dusted,” said Fell, pouting slightly. “That would certainly improve my mood, nyeh heh heh.”

Swap looked bemused. “Hilarious.”

Fell sighed. “Fine, fine. Just hit record and fuck me already… asshole.”

Despite Fell’s small addition to his sentence, Swap seemed satisfied, his usual lazy smirk returning. “Excellent. Showtime!”

“Don’t—don’t say that, please,” Fell griped, with a sigh.

“Fine. Bone time.”

Fell glowered. “That wasn’t better.”

Swap smiled. “I’m just going to hit record. Look cute for me.” Fell resisted the urge not to roll his eye-lights as Swap pressed the small red button, and the camera started flashing. The lanky skeleton then slowly made his way back to the bed, sitting beside Fell, cupping his jaw. “You honestly look fucking amazing,” he uttered, his voice low, sockets lidded.

Fell’s soul flipped for a moment and his eye sockets widened slightly. Was Swap actually complimenting him? But then Fell remembered the camera. Oh, right. He placed a hand on Swap’s thigh, making sure to angle his body so that his outfit was clearly visible. Swap licked over his teeth again, before pressing his tongue against Fell’s mouth, immediately pushing it inside. Fell met Swap’s golden magic with his own, intertwining their tongues, deliberately sliding his hand higher up Swap’s thigh. He felt Swap trail a hand down his back, pulling him closer, his fingers gently caressing Fell’s face. Fell brought a hand to the back of Swap’s neck, pulling their mouths closer together, allowing Swap to dominate the kiss, pushing his tongue further into Fell’s mouth. He could taste the honey of Swap’s magic, and he gave a soft moan. Only because of the recording though, of course. The magic at his crotch was already growing warm, and he felt Swap humming against his mouth as he trailed his hand higher up his counterpart’s femur, beginning to feel the heat emitting off Swap’s own magic.

Swap suddenly broke the kiss, staring into Fell’s eye-lights for a few moments. Fell could see a faint trail of red and orange already dripping from the corner of Swap’s mouth, and the sight sent a twinge of arousal to his crotch. Damn, Fell sort of wished he was the one fucking Swap tonight. But no, he needed to control himself if he was going to let his magic form properly. He couldn’t deny he was getting more than a little worked up at the thought of Swap taking control…

He pressed forward again, kissing Swap roughly, messily trailing his tongue over the other skeleton’s mouth, leaning against him. Fell slid his hand against Swap’s crotch, and felt Swap’s breath hitch as he gave him a tight squeeze. He slowly began rubbing against Swap’s amber magic, feeling it coalescing.

Suddenly, Swap pulled away. He grinned at Fell, and leaned forward slightly, licking over his teeth, before grasping both of Fell’s wrists firmly, pinning them to the bed, forcing Fell to lean back slightly. Swap then ducked his head, and ran his tongue over the vertebrae of Fell’s neck. The sensation drew a low groan from Fell – for the camera, of course. Swap began to slide his tongue up Fell’s neck, until he reached the side of his skull. Fell could feel Swap’s breaths against his bones.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard, you little slut,” Swap growled, and a shudder went through Fell. He dropped his head back, releasing another small moan as Swap’s teeth latched onto his neck, scraping over the sensitive bones. His hands were still pinned to the bed, so instead, Fell brought a leg up from the floor, and wrapped it around Swap’s waist. Swap seemed to sense his intentions, because he lifted his own legs up, kneeling on between Fell’s femurs. He then grasped Fell’s other leg, firmly, and wrapped it around his waist, too. Swap had released both of Fell’s hands now, and was holding him by his lower back, teeth and tongue still running over Fell’s neck. Fell trailed a hand down Swap’s spine, eliciting a shiver from the other skeleton. When he reached Swap’s tailbone, he pulled him close, creating a pleasant friction between their hips. “Fuck,” he heard Swap murmur, his grip on Fell’s back tightening.

He bit down on Fell’s neck suddenly, hard, and Fell tipped his head back, giving a moan that had nothing to do with the camera trained on them. He could feel Swap’s burning magic through his pants, and realised that his counterpart was already undeniably hard. He lifted a hand to the side of Swap’s jaw, pulling him away from his neck, before leaning down to kiss him again, this time pushing his own tongue into Swap’s mouth. He reached his hand down, slipping it below the waistband of Swap’s pants, and firmly grasping his cock, giving it a gentle stroke. Swap’s breath hitched, and Fell used the opportunity to press his tongue deeper into the other skeleton’s mouth. “Mm, eager, are we… hm… slut?” Swap murmured between his heavy pants.

“Fuck y—yes…” Fell caught himself before cussing Swap off, as he normally would. He felt Swap grinning against his mouth, and figured he’d sensed Fell’s almost-slip-up. Keen to wipe that stupid smile off his face, Fell gave Swap’s cock a tight squeeze, and he felt Swap gasp. “Hmm, yes,” he purred, pressing his teeth against the side of Swap’s skull. “Can’t wait to have you fuck me. To feel your cock inside me, filling me. Fucking amazing.” Someone watching likely wouldn’t have heard the sarcasm in Fell’s voice, but he knew Swap could. Swap smirked, and clutched Fell’s hand, pulling it off his cock, and bringing it to rest on his shoulder. He then gripped Fell by the hips, and pushed their pelvises together, sending a pulse of arousal to Fell’s hot magic.

“Hmm, yes I can tell,” Swap hummed. “You’re already so wet.” Fell gasped as he felt Swap pressing a phalange against his folds, hand slipping beneath his underwear. “I think it’s time we get these off you.” Swap tugged the underwear down Fell’s femurs, exposing his already dripping crimson coloured pussy. Swap eyed it, licking over his teeth, and the sight conjured another spasm of lust within Fell. Without thinking, he grasped Swap’s hand, firmly, and pressed it against his sex, bucking his hips slightly against the touch. “Oh fuck, you really are eager,” Swap said, and Fell could hear a hint of genuine surprise in his tone.

“Enough talk,” Fell growled, holding Swap with a fierce gaze. “Fuck me already.” Swap grinned, his tongue pressed between his teeth.

“Hmm, you really are needy, Fell.” Swap’s lascivious tone sent a shiver down Fell’s spine. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” Swap suddenly pressed a phalange against Fell’s clitoris, and began to rub it in slow, but deliberate circles. Fell’s breath hitched, starting to come in short pants. Swap’s golden eye-lights pinned him, and he felt his soul practically melting in his chest. Stars, it had to be the camera—the knowledge that he was being watched—sending this warmth through him. Swap smiled, holding his gaze, before pressing two fingers into his entrance without hesitation.

“Oh—fuck, Swap!” Fell cried, his head dropping back, eye sockets falling closed. The feeling of being penetrated so suddenly sent a slight prickle of pain through him, but, as Swap slowly began to pump his fingers in and out, Fell grew used to the intrusion, and gradually began moving his hips, forcing Swap’s fingers deeper.

“Mm, that’s right, slut,” Swap drawled, his voice gravelly. “Need to get you nice and prepared before you can take my cock. Fuck, you look good.” Fell whined, slowly picking up his pace, eager for more.

“P-please, Swap, I need—”

“Oh, you want more?” Swap smirked at him. “Hmm, I still don’t think you’re quite ready for my cock. You have to earn it.” Swap began rubbing his thumb over Fell’s clitoris again, the sensation sending spasms of pleasure through the rougher skeleton. He whined, pushing his hips down, forcing Swap’s fingers as deep as they could go.

“Ah, fuck—Swap—hah—p-please… nngh…”

Fell could already feel the building pressure of his orgasm deep within him, his magic starting to clench around Swap’s fingers. Swap seemed to sense his imminent climax too, because he started to speed up his fingers, pumping them in and out while his thumb still circled Fell’s clit. “Hmm, that’s right, slut… come for me. Maybe then I’ll consider fucking you.”

“Hnng—gah! Swap, p-please… hah—ah…”

“Look at me when you come, Fell.”

Fell opened his eyes, staring down at Swap in surprise. There was something carnal deep within his voice, and his gaze was intense. His words alone, rough and commanding, were enough to send Fell over the edge. He groaned, unable to stop his eyes from falling closed, and rode out his orgasm, Swap’s fingers still pushing in and out of his entrance. He suddenly felt Swap bring a hand to his jaw, his thumb holding Fell’s chin, bringing his mouth down to meet his own. The kiss was rough and desperate, Fell still panting as Swap’s tongue explored his mouth, licking over his bones. “Fuck, Swap…”

“Hmm, we’re not done yet, sweetheart,” said Swap, his performance voice returning. “Look at how hard you made me, you little slut. Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” Fell glanced down, his eye sockets widening slightly as Swap slid his pants down his femurs, exposing his now fully erect cock. The golden magic was bright, and hot, and precum was already leaking from the head.

“F-fuck…” Fell murmured, bringing a hand down to Swap’s crotch. But Swap slapped him away, and he had to resist the urge not to glare.

“Mm, don’t move unless I fucking tell you to,” Swap commanded, and Fell couldn’t stop the small pout that made its way onto his face. His own magic was still inches away from Swap’s cock, and he wanted nothing more than shift his hips forward, feel Swap’s impressive length penetrating him.

His thoughts were cut off as Swap kissed him suddenly, pressing his tongue roughly into Fell’s mouth, licking against his own conjured tongue. Swap hummed against him, suddenly pushing him onto his back, leaning over him. Swap’s hands were pressed into the sheets either side of Fell’s head, and Fell couldn’t stop himself from whining softly as Swap kissed him. He subconsciously brought his legs behind Swap’s back, pushing him down so that the head of his cock brushed against his pussy. Swap grunted slightly, and broke the kiss suddenly, pulling away. “Hah…” he breathed, looking down at Fell, eye-lights intense. “Not—not so fast, F—slut. Turn over.”

Fell stared for a couple of seconds, but it seemed to be too long, because Swap grasped him suddenly, flipping him onto his front. Fell gasped as Swap gripped onto his hips, turning him so that he was facing the camera. He could feel Swap’s phalanges rubbing soft circles on his hips – a strange addition for the ‘show’, Fell thought, considering anyone watching probably wouldn’t notice. He propped himself up on his elbows, and gave a soft whimper as he felt the tip of Swap’s cock brush against his folds. Swap leaned against him, pressing his mouth to the side of Fell’s skull. “You remember our safe word right?” he murmured, so that only Fell could hear.

“Yes, but why would I—” Fell broke off with a sharp cry as Swap thrust forward suddenly, hilting within Fell almost instantly, his cock hitting the back of Fell’s magic. “Oh—oh fuck! It’s t-too big—oh, I—oh fuck!”

“Mm, that’s right… s-slut,” Swap groaned, hands grasping onto Fell’s hips as he began thrusting into him, hard. “You love the feeling of my cock inside you, don’t you?” Despite Swap’s obvious dirty talk, Fell could tell that Swap was giving him an opportunity to use their safe word. He hesitated for a moment inside Fell, who pushed his hips back deliberately against Swap’s cock, giving the lazier skeleton his answer. “Gah—fuck, Fell,” Swap panted. He slowly began moving again, quickly picking up his pace, fucking Fell vigorously.

“Oh—oh fuck, Swap—fuck me, please—harder, Swap—oh fuck, please, harder—ah!”

Fell couldn’t stop the endless cries of pleasure, mingled with pain, falling from his mouth as Swap fucked him mercilessly. He pounded into Fell, his thrusts deep and rough, his hands gripping firmly onto Fell’s hips. “Fuck, you’re so tight around my… hah… my cock,” Swap managed to get out, sounding breathless.

“Oh fuck, Swap—more, please, more!”

“Heh.”

Swap picked up his pace, slamming into Fell harder and faster, the feeling of his cock filling Fell, pushing his magic beyond its limits. Fell could barely control the breathless screams and cries leaving him, his entire body shaking as Swap rigorously pounded into him. He clutched onto the bed sheets, his gloved phalanges tearing into the thin material. His eyes watered as he stared into the camera, mouth hanging open as a constant stream of blissful cries fell from it. Fuck, why were they even filming this again? Fell dropped his head onto the mattress, biting down on the duvet. He could already feel his rising orgasm, burning within him. “Fuck—I c-can’t—I’m going to—ah, fuck—”

“Hah… fuck, Fell…”

The raspy, breathless moan of his name from Swap above him was enough to push Fell over the edge, his orgasm coming fast and hard, his walls convulsing around Swap’s cock. “Oh—oh fuck—Swap—ah…”

Swap didn’t relent, even as Fell’s orgasm passed. He continued to relentlessly pound into him, overstimulating him. But Fell didn’t care. Stars, he couldn’t get enough. He pushed his hips back, meeting Swap’s rough thrusts, even as his magic was stretched to its limits. He felt one of Swap’s hands release his hip, and he turned his head to see Swap biting down on his fist, his eye sockets closed tightly. Fell reached a hand behind him, gripping onto Swap’s tailbone, and holding him closer against him, not eager to lose any of the pressure of his cock. “Oh fuck… Fell…”

Swap’s breathing was ragged, coming in short gasps, his pace never slowing. Fell continued to cry out, tears falling from his eye sockets, his teeth gritted. “Ah—oh, yes Swap—fuck—hah…”

Swap’s phalanges scraped against Fell’s hip bone, almost painfully, but Fell barely noticed, every sensation becoming lost in the pure ecstasy of the feeling of Swap inside him. It wasn’t long before Fell started to feel the rising pressure of his third orgasm of the night, burning deep within him. He reached down a hand, and began rubbing a gloved finger over his swollen clitoris, the sensation sending shockwaves of pleasure through his body. “F-Fell—I’m going to… gah…”

“Oh yes—ngh—fuck, please Swap—come inside me—hah—fuck…”

Fell’s ramblings seemed to be enough to bring Swap to his peak. With a cry, he clutched onto Fell’s hips and ribs with both hands, and Fell felt him releasing his magic inside him, the warm liquid filling him. “Oh, fuck yes!” Fell cried, squeezing his eye sockets shut. “Oh—Swap—hah, I’m going to… ah…”

Unable to hold himself back anymore, Fell clutched onto the edge of the bed, moaning Swap’s name as he came, Swap still pumping his cock in and out of his entrance, before Fell collapsed onto the bed, Swap still on top of him. After a couple of seconds of heavy panting, Swap rolled onto the bed beside him.

“Heh, fuck, brat… you were… damn it. You were fucking amazing.” Fell couldn’t respond, his words caught in breathless gasps as he lay there, recovering from the intensity of the experience. He suddenly felt Swap’s hand on his arm, the gentle touch surprising him after the brutal manner of their recent endeavour. “Hey, are you okay?” Swap asked, his voice gentle. “I know I was a bit rough.” Fell turned, looking into Swap’s eye-lights, which were soft, their golden-orange colour slightly hazy. Fell frowned, and gave Swap a rough shove, kicking him off the bed.

“No cuddling,” he said, coldly, as Swap tumbled onto the floor, grunting slightly.

“Heh, good,” said Swap as he stood up, rubbing his arm slightly as he observed Fell. He then glanced over at the camera, which was still flashing. “Oh shit, I almost forgot.”

Fell frowned. “Turn that thing off, asshole. While a constant roll of me lying sprawled on this bed is far more appealing than the thought of seeing your face, I’d rather just stick to what we have.”

Swap rolled his eye-lights, sticking his tongue out slightly between his teeth, before wandering over to the device, crouching slightly to look at it. His eye sockets widened, and he looked at Fell with a grimace. “Oops, looks like I forgot to hit record,” he said, sheepishly. Fell’s eyes went wide, and he jumped up, rushing over to the camera and bending down to look at it. The display screen showed the bed, as it was now, and there was a flashing red light in the top corner saying ‘rec’. Fell turned to look at Swap, glaring.

“Hilarious,” he growled, hitting the button and ending the recording. The camera began to replay the clip, and Fell watched for a couple of seconds as it displayed Swap kissing him on the bed, his hand sliding up Swap’s femur. He quickly drew his eyes away, turning off the camera. “Well, show’s over, you can leave now,” he said, dryly, looking back up at Swap, who smirked.

“You’re welcome, brat.”

“Fuck off, asshole.”

“Heh, sure thing. But at least let me put my clothes back on first. Although…” Swap’s eyes raked over Fell’s body. Fell suddenly felt very exposed, and crossed his hands in front of his pelvic bone, where his magic was still dissipating. “I won’t insist that you do the same.” And there was that god damn tongue again, slipping out of Swap’s mouth, flickering over his teeth for just a second.

“Stop doing that,” Fell snapped, and Swap raised his brow bone.

“Doing what?”

“You know what.” Fell glared. “That thing—with your tongue. Stop it.”

Swap smirked, his tongue protruding from the corner of his mouth. “Heh.”

Fell growled, and was about to go on a rampage when he noticed Swap’s left hand, which was hanging at his side. It was shaking slightly, and the bones looked… scarred – almost cracked. “What the fuck happened to your hand?” he asked, indicating at the damaged bones. The lanky skeleton’s eye sockets widened for a moment, and he quickly hid the hand behind his back.

“Er, nothing.” He looked away from Fell, a faint blush on his cheek bones. Fell frowned, and was about to protest, when Swap spoke up again. “I’m uh, going to go now. Enjoy flaunting that video in front of Mettaton.” He scrambled around the room, picking up his shoes and cell phone, before heading towards the door. “Uh, just remember rule number seven – don’t re-watch the tape.”

“Well… what about when I’m editing it?” Fell asked, frowning.

Swap snorted, regarding him dubiously. “Why are you editing it? Just send it. Who cares?”

“You obviously don’t know how much I value perfection,” Fell said, deadpan.

Swap shrugged, amusement crossing his features. “Heh, I guess you’re right. You did choose to film it with me after all.”

Fell frowned. “That’s not—”

“Fine, just when you’re editing it, but… just don’t watch it again after that, okay?” Swap stared at Fell for a few seconds, until he nodded. “Well, uh, see you later, brat.” Without waiting for a response, Swap hurried from the room, closing the door behind him.

 

The next morning, when Fell awoke, Swap had already left, presumably going back to his own house. Red arrived home around noon, and Fell looked up from where he was fixing the TV on the floor. “Hm. For something you were so reluctant to do, you certainly managed to extend your stay at Blue’s house.”

Red glared, throwing his bag onto the floor. Fell grimaced, knowing he’d be the one picking it up later. “Whatever, you dick.” Red glanced at Fell, and raised his brow bone. “Er, Boss, what happened to our TV?”

Fell scowled. “It doesn’t matter brother. What happened at your _sleepover?_ Did you enjoy yourself?” There was no real cruelty to Fell’s tone. He actually liked it when Red spent time with his Tale verse counterparts. It was good for him.

Still, Red glared. “Did _you_ enjoy sitting at home ‘acting like an adult’?” he asked, and for a split second, Fell thought he was talking about the tape, before remembering his words to his brother last night.

“As a matter of fact brother, I did.”

Fell thought about the tape, which was now saved onto his computer upstairs. He tried not to think about how many times he’d re-watched it during the editing process, though.

Well, he did look rather good in leather.

Certainly good enough to warrant re-watching it eight times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for: minor degradation, painful sex (very brief), slut-shaming (sort of?), filming of explicit sexual acts (I'm not sure if this bothers anyone but I'll put it here just in case)


	3. You really suck at this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Fell is taught the rules of what one expects of a "mutually beneficial" arrangement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings I can think of for this chapter, but please let me know if I should tag anything!  
> Some very mild angst.

“Damn, it actually worked?”

“Like a charm.”

“Brilliant.”

“Indeed.”

Fell was very deliberately trying to ignore Swap, who had taken it upon himself to sit beside Fell. Honestly, all Fell had wanted was to grab a quick drink from Grillby’s on his way home from work—why did this unendingly exasperating little…

“Well, I never doubted my abilities.” Swap’s _irritating_ (and, as of late, sultry) voice interrupted Fell’s thoughts. “Nor the overwhelmingly arousing effect you seem to have,” he added with a wink. Fell’s cheek bones reddened, but he refused to rise to the quip.

“Yes, well. Mettaton always was rather short-tempered,” he mumbled, taking a sip of his drink. While Fell would have preferred more savoury company, he couldn’t deny he was enjoying the opportunity to discuss his recent success in angering his ex-boyfriend with the little ‘film’ he and Swap had created. The response Fell had received to his email he’d sent Mettaton had been rather… graphic. But he knew that – despite his intimate relationship with violence – Mettaton wouldn’t dare follow up on his threats. At least not while Undyne was still adamantly enforcing her anti-dusting policies. And sitting here now, Fell was almost glad he’d run into Swap, since his lazy counterpart was the only one he could discuss this with—and he was simply preening over the fact that he’d managed to enrage his spiteful ex-boyfriend.

“Heh. So…” Swap gave Fell a mischievous smirk. “Want me to suck you off?”

Fell had to grip the edge of the bar very hard to stop himself from breaking into a coughing fit as he swallowed his drink the wrong way. Cheek bones red as a cherry, he stared at Swap, eyes wide. “I—I’m sorry?”

“I’ll give you a blowjob, if you like.”

“Yes, idiot, I heard you…” Fell stifled another cough, trying not to break eye contact. It was becoming increasingly difficult with the way Swap’s golden eye-lights seemed to flicker as his smirk widened. “I just—why?”

Swap shrugged, tapping his fingers on the bar as he took another sip of his drink. “Eh, just as like… a victory thing. For your recent success.”

Fell was taken aback. He was still struggling to process Swap’s spontaneous offer. Not that he was entirely opposed… He paused for a moment, considering. “But… why would you want to suck _me_ off? You already did me a favour last week.”

Swap made a non-committal noise, finishing his drink and placing the empty glass on the bar. “Hm, true. But who’s saying you wouldn’t be doing me a favour by letting me suck your dick?” He licked over his teeth, his golden-orange tongue leaving a trail of magic. “You’re pretty delicious.”

Fell hid his embarrassment with a frown. “Ugh, fine,” he conceded, trying to sound reluctant, despite the fact that his magic was already buzzing. “I guess it’ll shut you up at least. Maybe your mouth is good for something more than pissing me off.”

“Oh you have my guarantee.” Fell was pleased to see that he wasn’t the only one blushing. A faint dusting of golden-orange tinged Swap’s cheek bones; the sight did little to alleviate the excitement of Fell’s magic.

Trying to maintain a cool façade, Fell sighed, finishing his own drink, and rising from his seat. With a laboured sigh, he said, “Well, come on then, asshole. I don’t have all night.”

“Heh, don’t worry. You won’t last very long.”

Fell scoffed. “We’ll see about that.”

 

****

 

Fell found himself eating his own words mere minutes later. “Gah—fuck, Swap…ah—how are you—fuck…” His back was pressed against the cold bricks of the alley beside Grillby’s, but he hardly felt the ice against his bones. His mind (and body) were currently occupied by nothing more than the skeleton on his knees in front of him. Swap’s mouth was warm around his cock, and he could already feel spasms of pleasure rushing through his magic as his counterpart bobbed his head.

Fell couldn’t stop himself from thrusting into Swap’s mouth, his cock achingly hard, the euphoric feeling of Swap’s warm conjured throat tight around it. He brought both hands up to the back of Swap’s skull, forcing him to take in all of his cock at once, feeling the head hitting the back of the other skeleton’s throat. Swap choked slightly, but didn’t stop, his tongue sliding against Fell’s burning magic. “Ah… fuck yes… I knew you had to be—ah… practicing for s-something with all that—that talking you do… ah…”

Fell could feel Swap chuckling slightly around him, the soft vibrations creating an added sense of ecstasy. But he still grimaced, irritated that even when Swap wasn’t talking, he’d still somehow managed to piss him off. With a disgruntled huff, Fell dug his phalanges into the back of Swap’s skull, grasping it firmly, and began fucking into his mouth vigorously. Swap choked again, and Fell smirked, before crying out as Swap began to swallow around him, causing a tight, wet heat around his cock. “Gah—stars you—you’re such an—a-asshole… Oh—oh fuck… hah… fuck yes…”

Fell could already feel the building pressure of his orgasm, rising quickly within him. He sped up his pace, roughly fucking Swap’s mouth, his gloved fingers scraping over the smooth bone of his skull. “Oh… fucking stars,” Fell growled deeply as he felt himself reaching his peak. “Oh—fuck you, Swap—hah…” Giving one last deep thrust of his hips, Fell groaned and released his magic in Swap’s mouth. Even as his orgasm passed, Swap continued to run his tongue languidly over Fell’s shaft, flicking it over the head, licking at Fell’s hot release.

All too soon, Swap withdrew, rising to his feet, and smirking at Fell, who could do little more than lean against the wall, panting. There was a mixture of red and gold magic around Swap’s mouth, some of it dribbling down his chin. Despite having just come, Fell found the sight rather… arousing. He was taken aback when Swap clicked his tongue, glancing down at his phone… had that been in his hand this entire time? “Hm, two and a half minutes.” Swap’s voice was slightly raspy, and a small sense of smugness settled in Fell, knowing he was the cause of it. “I’m impressed. You almost beat my time.”

Fell smile faded into a frown. “What are you on about, asshole?” He was still slightly out of breath, so the jab came out a little less harsh than he’d hoped.

Swap grinned—an expression Fell had come to recognise as his gloating face. The sight made him scowl. “Heh,” Swap chuckled, “that’s how long you lasted.”

Fell’s eye sockets widened, the deep blush returning to his cheek bones. “What? No it isn’t!” Swap raised his brow bone, and showed Fell the screen on his phone. The timer displayed two minutes and twenty-eight seconds. Fell glared, his face growing hotter by the second. “You—you were timing me? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Swap shrugged, putting his phone away. “Just wanted to see. I told you it would be quick, didn’t I? Heh.” He was grinning. That fucker. “Actually, to be fair, you lasted a bit longer than people normally do. The longest anyone’s lasted is three minutes, but my record is nineteen seconds.”

Fell stared at Swap, bewildered. He tried to maintain what little dignity he had remaining, folding his arms across his chest in a display of petty disbelief. “You—you made someone come in twenty seconds? You’re so full of shit.”

“Nineteen,” Swap corrected. “And it’s true. I can get them on the phone now if you’d like them to verify.” Swap smirked.

“Ugh, screw you, fucking prick. You’re so messed up.”

“Maybe,” Swap admitted. “But you seemed to enjoy it.”

Fell grit his teeth, scowling at the snow. His soul lurched when his gaze fell on a small smattering of his own magic, the crimson contrasting with the white. Irritated, he looked back up at Swap. “Ugh, fuck you. It was only because you weren’t speaking.”

“Does that get you off?”

“If I say yes will you be quiet for the rest of your life?”

Swap grinned, his tongue running over his teeth, licking up some of the magic there, and Fell glowered. “So, you ready for round two?” Swap asked, resetting the timer on his phone.

Fell narrowed his eye sockets, feeling indignant. “Wow, get over yourself. Are you serious?”

“Are you?”

Fell frowned. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Well, you’re hard again, so I just assumed…”

Fell felt his eye sockets going wide, the heated blush creeping back across his cheeks. He glanced down, grimacing as he saw that Swap was right. Once again, his crimson ecto-cock was standing to attention. Stars, it was even still dripping slightly with Swap’s magic. Fuck that asshole and his stupid tongue. Fell sighed, feeling irritated at his defeat. “Fine, I suppose…”

Swap grinned, and Fell wasn’t sure he’d ever seen someone look so delighted in such a twisted way. “Awesome. Let’s see if you can beat the high score.”

“Fuck you, stupid—ah!”

Fell’s breath hitched as Swap dropped to his knees for the second time that evening, taking Fell into his mouth. Fell was brought to shame once again, only reaching a minute and a half this time.

 

****

 

“I want a rematch.”

“Excuse me?”

“I want to try again. I can beat the high score.”

“What high s…oh.”

Fell regarded his counterpart, pleased that he’d managed to catch him at home. Of course the lazy asshole was in front of the TV. Still, it wasn’t typical of Fell to visit the Underswap brothers’ house, so this little bastard had better be grateful that he’d bothered to grace him with his presence.

~~It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that he hadn’t been able to sleep at night knowing that he’d been beaten.~~

“I can last longer than three minutes, you stupid prick. Now get on your knees.”

Swap smirked, not moving from his spot on the couch. “Boy, you really are competitive, aren’t you, brat?”

“Fuck you. I can easily beat your stupid high score,” Fell said, trying to make a display of folding his arms across his chest. Somehow, Swap didn’t seem intimidated. This only irked Fell further. “Now get on your damn knees.”

“My bro’s upstairs,” said Swap, raising his brow bone. Fell paused, frowning. As much as he wanted to prove his durability—and put this gangly bastard in his place—he did not want to break one of their three golden rules by accidentally alerting Blue to what they were doing.

“Fine then. We’ll go to my house.”

Swap gave him a resigned look. “Eh, no thanks,” he said, giving a dismissive wave of his hand before turning back to the TV.

Fell glared, feeling frustrated. “You can’t—you’re cheating! How am I supposed to beat you if you won’t even play?”

Swap sighed, glancing up at him with tired, hazy eye-lights. “Fucking stars, I’m really regretting telling you about that whole high score thing. Okay, how about this?” He flicked the TV off, turning his attention back to Fell. “We add another layer of challenge to this… ‘game’.” There was a glimmer of mischief in Swap’s eye-lights now. “We’ll see if you can last three minutes, but… you’re not allowed to make any noise.” Swap grinned, and Fell’s eye sockets widened.

“What? That’s not fair. How am I supposed to—”

“Wow, am I really _that_ good?” Swap smirked, his tongue flicking over his teeth. Fell scowled, indignation bubbling in his soul. Wow, he’d really walked right into that one.

“No! But…”

“You afraid of the challenge, brat?”

“No, of course not, asshole!” He growled, conceding. “Ugh, fine. I can be quiet.”

Swap grinned, leaping from the couch. “Awesome,” he said, sanguinely, strolling over to Fell with his hands in his pockets. For some reason, the gesture made Fell fume. He wasn’t supposed to be so relaxed about this! Fell was challenging him! He ought to at least pretend to be anxious.

Fell’s thoughts were clouded, his breath hitching slightly as Swap stopped right in front of him, their faces only inches apart. Holding his breath, Fell allowed himself to be pressed against the door. Swap trailed a hand behind his skull, before sliding his tongue over his own teeth, an almost playful smirk on his face. Damn it. Fell shouldn’t find this arousing. He should be… angry…

All rational thought left his mind as Swap suddenly leaned close – so close that Fell could feel his breath on his face – and grasped Fell’s crotch, where his magic had formed. “Hmm, already, Fell?” Swap chuckled, softly. “You are not going to last.”

Fell scowled, his cock twitching slightly in Swap’s grip. “J-just—get on your fucking knees, asshole,” he hissed through his teeth.

Swap grinned, obliging. He brought his hands to Fell’s pants, slowly undoing the buckle. Once it was loose, he leisurely pulled down the zipper, fingers barely brushing Fell’s cock, the sensation sending a jolt of arousal through the rougher skeleton. Swap slid Fell’s pants over his femurs at a tantalising pace, finally letting them drop around his ankles. “Hmm, got the timer ready, brat?”

“You haven’t even started yet. I’m barely hard.”

Swap winked, his tongue flickering lasciviously at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll give you a head start—heh, pun not intended.” Fell rolled his eye-lights. “In the name of a good-spirited competition.”

A growl built up in Fell’s chest, and he glared at his smirking counterpart. “Fuck you, I don’t need—”

Fell’s words were cut off by a short gasp as Swap ran a phalange over his length. He glared, but grudgingly pulled out his phone—not without a few muttered choice words. Swap grinned, seemingly entertained by Fell’s irritation. “Don’t forget—no noise, otherwise you lose.”

“Blow me, twat.”

“Happily.”

Fell watched as Swap slowly ran his thumb over the head of his cock, bringing his free hand up to grip Fell by the hip. With an easy smirk in Fell’s direction, he flicked his tongue over his teeth, before running it down the entire length of Fell’s cock. Fell barely managed to start the timer as he dropped his head back, sighing as Swap slowly swirled his tongue over the head. He allowed the softest of moans (soft enough not to break the rule of silence) to escape him at the gentle way Swap was taking him into his mouth—small bits at a time, his head bobbing slowly. Was he… humming? Stupid prick. Fell was about to question Swap on whether he was taking this challenge seriously, when he remembered the silence rule. He wondered if Swap would be opposed to making it an everyday thing. Probably, stupid smart mouth.

Oh fuck, a very smart mouth. Swap was wrapping his tongue around Fell’s cock, his magic sending a pleasant burning sensation through Fell’s, the touch of it euphorically gentle and soft. Fell found himself subconsciously bringing a hand to the back of Swap’s skull, holding him there, but not with the same rough finesse he’d used the previous day. He ran his phalanges over the smooth bones, and let his eyes fall closed, sighing into the gentle feeling of Swap’s mouth. He could do three minutes like this. Fuck. He could do three weeks like this…

A sudden gasp escaped him, and he clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from whimpering. Swap appeared to have changed tactics, abandoning his gentler approach, and wrapping his tongue tightly around Fell’s cock. The friction was hot, and Fell grit his teeth, doing his best to stifle the moans which threatened to escape him. The last of his composure shattered as Swap took the entire length of his cock into his mouth and began bobbing his head, fast. The sensation sent jolts of burning pleasure through Fell, and he scraped his fingers over the wood of the door.

In the thralls of his dwindling self-control, he dared a glance down at his phone, which he seemed to have dropped on the floor at some point, and grimaced. It had scarcely been a minute and a half. Damn it, he shouldn’t have let himself relax so much at the start. Stupid, devious prick. Swap had obviously known that Fell would have his guard up, so he’d been gentle on purpose. Now Fell could already feel the rising pressure of his climax, building quickly as his cock brushed the back of Swap’s conjured throat.

Fell bit down on his fist, trying to quell the pleasure with the feeling of pain, but then, Swap swallowed around him, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He began thrusting into his counterpart’s mouth, gasping as his cock hit the back of Swap’s throat, over and over, until he reached his peak. Pushing down roughly on Swap’s skull, so that his cock hilted in his counterpart’s mouth, Fell came, gasping against his own hand, forcing down the desperate groans that threatened to escape him. He sighed as Swap licked over the head of his cock, swallowing his release, before gradually pulling back. He smirked up at Fell from where he still knelt on the floor, crimson magic dripping down his chin. Had he not felt so utterly spent, Fell might have had the urge to fuck his mouth again, just to stop him from smirking. Swap tutted as he picked up Fell’s fallen cell phone, glancing at the timer.

“Oh no, I’m sorry brat, but it looks like you didn’t beat the record.” Swap sighed, dramatically. “In fact, you didn’t even beat your own record. Barely passed the two minute mark. Better luck next time, pal.” Swap rose to his feet, smirking. “Although, I will admit, I’m rather impressed you managed to stay silent that entire time. Normally you’re so whiny and obnoxious.”

Fell glared, giving in to his rage, and gripped the front of Swap’s hoodie, pulling him so that their faces were inches away. Swap grinned, his tongue flickering at the corner of his mouth, remnants of Fell’s magic still clinging to it. Fuck, this guy was aggravating. And arousing. It was certainly a confusing mix of feelings. But right now, anger seemed to be dominant. “Listen here, you stupid asshole—”

“Papy, are you here?” Fell and Swap froze at the sound of Blue’s voice, coming from upstairs. Releasing Swap without a moment’s hesitation, Fell yanked his pants back up, buckling them over his magic, his cock still half-hard. Swap was on the couch in seconds, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, and flicking on the TV. Fell barely had time to compose himself before Blue came scampering down the stairs, his starry blue eye-lights widening when he noticed Fell. “Oh, hello Fell! What are you doing here?”

“Um, well, I was just uh… looking for my brother,” Fell said, awkwardly, shifting his position in an attempt to hide the glow at his pelvis. He saw Swap shoot him a dubious glance over his shoulder, brow bone raised in amusement. “But, as I see he isn’t here, I’ll just be… going.” Fell turned to leave.

“Oh, you don’t want to stay for dinner?” Blue asked. “We were going to head to Muffet’s.” Fell paused, turning to observe him.

“Oh, no thank you, Blue. I should really be going.”

“Yeah, bro. Fell doesn’t really like eating out,” Swap added. He flicked his tongue over his teeth, and Fell glared.

“It’s more because I’d rather not have to endure your presence much longer, asshole.” Fell turned to regard Blue once again. “I don’t think your brother is very hungry, Blue. He did just eat.”

Fell smirked at Swap, who shot him a glare. This satisfied him immensely. Blue frowned slightly, and Fell hoped the meaning behind their conversation was lost on him. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that you won’t be joining us for dinner, Fell,” he said. “Perhaps next time. I um… hope you find your brother.” Fell drew his eyes away from Swap, nodding as he regarded Blue.

“Thank you, Blue. I’ll, um…” Fell’s eyes wandered back over to Swap, who was still giving him a very deliberate look. He pulled his gaze away. “I’ll see you later.” He quickly turned, hurrying out of the front door, and closing it behind him. He stood there for a second, taking a deep breath.

While he was certainly relieved to be out of that house – Swap’s provocative little tongue flicks had done little to assist him in dispelling his magic – he was still rather irked that he had been bested yet again. Damn Swap and his _stupid_ tongue, and his _stupid_ mouth, and his _stupid_ games. Fell _would_ win this challenge. He _would_ beat that bloody high score. And he _would_ wipe that _stupid_ smirk off Swap’s face.

Right now, though, he really just needed to get home so he could take care of this _stupid_ erection.

 

****

 

“Two minutes, twelve seconds.”

“Ugh, go to hell.”

Fell slumped back on the sofa, panting. He’d somehow managed to coax Swap into coming round to his place this time, but they hadn’t quite made it to the bedroom before Swap was tearing his clothes off. The lazy skeleton was now smirking up at him, licking Fell’s release off his chin. “Hm, maybe you should give up, Fell. You kinda suck at this.”

Fell’s eye-lights burned with rage, and he glared down at Swap, who was grinning. “Was that a—ugh, forget it. I will not give up until I’ve bested you! Twat.”

Swap smiled, expression appearing almost guarded. “There’s more than one way to win, you know.”

There was something strange deep within Swap’s eye-lights, and Fell frowned for a moment, but didn’t think much of it. “Yes, well, I’m not a cheater,” he said. “The Great and Terrible Papyrus _will_ win this silly game of yours.”

Swap’s smile turned wry.

 

****

 

“I can’t believe you—hah—managed to convince me to—oh fuck yes, ngh—do this on—ah—your sofa, asshole.”

Fell had made a fuss, but he was thoroughly enjoying the view of Swap kneeling between his legs, head bobbing up and down on his cock—despite the fact that they were on this asshole’s dingy sofa. Swap suddenly swallowed around him, his throat causing that tight, burning feeling that always sent Fell over the edge. He grit his teeth, trying his best to force down the hot pressure which was quickly rising in the base of his cock. But, to little avail. It wasn’t long before he was moaning deeply, one hand clutching onto the cushion, the other still pushing Swap’s mouth down onto his cock as he came, releasing his hot magic down Swap’s throat. To his surprise, Swap pulled away before he’d finished, spitting most of Fell’s release out, before flopping onto the sofa beside him, pulling his legs up and grabbing the TV remote from where it had become wedged between two cushions.

“Two minutes, twenty-six seconds,” Swap announced, his tone bored. “Okay, you’re done, you can go now, prat.” He gave Fell a shove, forcing him to slide his legs onto the floor. Fell turned to look at him in surprise. Swap seemed abnormally moody, his eyes closing for a moment as he rested a hand on his forehead. His usual smirk was missing from his face.

“What, no round two today?” Fell asked as he pulled his pants up, buckling them over his magic, which hadn’t even dispersed yet. “How am I supposed to beat you if you barely even give me a chance?”

“I don’t know, Fell. Figure it out.” Swap sounded irritated, barely glancing at Fell as he flicked on the TV, eyeing the programme with vague disinterest.

Fell frowned. Swap’s mood making him… uncomfortable. “Swap, are you o—”

“Just go, Fell. I’m tired.”

Fell hesitated, wondering if he should pursue this, before remembering that he shouldn’t care if Swap was mad. It wasn’t his problem, was it? “Okay, whatever. See you tomorrow, I guess.”

“I guess,” Swap replied, still not looking at him.

Fell paused, staring at him for a moment, before sighing, and walking away.

 

****

 

“Ugh, rule number eight – no coming on my face without warning.”

Swap was grimacing, wiping Fell’s release off his cheek bones and forehead. Fell frowned down at Swap from his position on the bed—his bed, thankfully. The lazier skeleton seemed irritated again, and Fell was beginning to grow worried. Not that he cared whether or not Swap was happy, of course, it just meant that he was a less cordial bed partner. It had been two days since Fell had last spoken to Swap. He’d hoped that he just needed some time to cool off, but it seemed he was more disgruntled than ever, and Fell was struggling to comprehend the cause of his ire. He sort of hoped he wasn’t the reason, but he wasn’t sure what else might have caused Swap’s mood. Had he taken something too far…?

He shook his head, deciding that Swap was probably just being irritating on purpose—like he always did. Coughing irritably, he muttered, “Sorry, asshole, it’s not my fault you always do that stupid thing with your tongue. Time?”

“Two minutes, forty-one seconds. Well done, brat, new personal best.” Swap rolled his eyes and stood, making his way to the door.

“Wait, where are you going?” Fell asked, standing up.

“Uh, home. You got your blowjob didn’t you?”

“Well, yes. But…”

“But what, brat?” Swap turned, giving him an irritated scowl. “You want me to suck you off again? You still want to try and ‘go for the high score’?” he asked, sardonically. “Well guess what, Fell? I’ve sucked your dick twelve times in the past week and today was the first time you lasted more than two and a half minutes. You’re not gonna do it. You’re not gonna win this _game_ that you’ve invented.”

Fell was taken aback. He stared at Swap in bewilderment, feeling flustered by his sudden outburst. “W-Well, obviously I won’t win if I give up,” he stammered, frowning. “And _you’re_ the one who came up with this game, not me.”

Swap sighed, sounding abnormally exasperated. Usually Fell was the one this riled up by their antics. “Nope, it was you. I literally used the word _challenge_ and you went into a tizzy about _winning._ Well, you know what? Maybe if you stopped thinking with your dick, and started thinking with your head, you would’ve won this dumb thing by now.”

Fell narrowed his eye sockets, confused. “What are you…?” His gaze suddenly fell to Swap’s crotch, and his soul stuttered in realisation. A faint glow shone through the fabric of Swap’s pants, and Fell had to chastise himself, disbelieving of his own obliviousness. How could he have been so foolish? How could he have missed this? And for an entire week. It was the perfect way to win. Not to mention how selfish he’d been, stars. Not that he cared about Swap, but this was just oral sex 101.

“Forget it, Fell,” Swap said, with a resigned sigh. “I’ll see you later.” He turned once again, hand on the doorknob. But Fell was behind him before he could turn it, and he felt Swap’s body tense against his as he pressed himself into his back.

“Hmm, no…” Fell murmured, nuzzling against Swap’s neck. “I don’t think I’m quite ready for you to leave yet.” Fell smirked at the gentle hitch of Swap’s breath as he pressed a hand to his crotch.

“F-Fell, what are you…?”

“I think I’ve discovered a loophole,” Fell purred. “Let’s see how long you last.”

 

****

 

“Ah—oh fuck, Fell!”

Fell pressed his tongue deeper into Swap’s dripping entrance, his grip tightening around Swap’s femurs, spurred on by the delectable noises he was making. Fell smiled to himself, pleased he’d finally caught onto all of Swap’s subtle hints. Well, to be fair, they really hadn’t been that subtle, Fell had just been very blind. Hopefully this made up for it. He ran his tongue over Swap’s folds, pressing it against his swollen clitoris.

“Can’t believe y-you—hah—caught on, you—you dumb fuck… oh, fuck yes…” Swap’s words were drowned in another string of moans and whines as Fell swirled his tongue, creating a gentle friction against his magic. Fell found himself enthralled by the sweetness of Swap, regretting the week of this he’d missed. “Fell—you little shit—yes… oh fuck, yes…”

Fell could feel his own magic responding to Swap’s breathless moans, but he forced it down, reminding himself that he owed Swap at least twelve orgasms before it was his turn again. He could already feel the first one rising, Swap’s walls clenching slightly around his tongue. “F-Fell, I—gah—I’m not… not going to last much longer, I—ah—fuck…”

Fell pressed his tongue in harder, sliding it unrelentingly in and out of Swap’s entrance, before bringing it out to press against his clitoris, trailing it back and forth over Swap’s magic. Swap was panting, and he brought a hand to the back of Fell’s skull, fingers dragging over his scarred bones. “Oh… fuck—can’t believe you were—hah… ah… holding—holding out—on me—ah, shit…”

Swap’s words dissolved into a surge of blissful moans, and he came with a hand clutched into the bed sheets. The other was still on the back of Fell’s head, and Fell couldn’t ignore the tingling feeling Swap’s delicately tracing fingers left. When he finally ( ~~reluctantly~~ ) withdrew from Swap’s pussy, he kissed him softly, letting Swap taste his own magic on his tongue. When Fell drew away, he glanced at his phone, features falling into a grimace. “Heh, time?” Swap asked, still sounding breathless.

“Four minutes, three seconds,” Fell grumbled, tossing the phone onto the bed.

“Hehe, still the champion.” Swap grinned, and Fell glared at him. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone again, resetting the timer.

“Well,” he said, leaning closer to Swap, deliberately licking his tongue over his teeth, the same way Swap always did, “I hope you realise the… disadvantage you’ve put yourself at—conjuring this particular set of genitals.?” Swap’s smile faded, his eyes going wide, and Fell couldn’t stop a smirk from creeping onto his face. “Yes, that’s right,” he purred, running a phalange over Swap’s folds, enjoying the way the other skeleton’s breath hitched. “I can make you come as many times as I like.”

The expression on Swap’s face was almost as sweet as Fell’s victory.

 

****

 

“Hmm, rule number nine—always reciprocate when it comes to oral,” Fell said. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling slightly at Swap’s soft chuckle.

“Heh, I’m definitely on board with that,” the lazier skeleton replied, unwrapping a lollipop he’d extracted from his pocket. Fell would prefer not to have the sticky thing anywhere near his bed, but he supposed it was better than smoking; it had been difficult to convince Swap to abandon that post-sex vice, so he doubted he’d be able to negotiate him out of this replacement. Although… Fell was finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the unwelcome prickles of arousal the sight of Swap sucking on the sweet was sending to his crotch. Not to mention the fact that he was still recovering from having listened to Swap’s delectable moaning for the past twenty minutes.

“Oh and,” Swap continued, glancing at Fell, “as much as I hate to admit it, I’ll have to officially crown you the oral sex champion.” A small smile tugged at the corner of Swap’s mouth, but it was nothing compared to the broad grin Fell couldn’t stop from crossing his own face.

“Ha! What did I tell you?” he preened, smugly. “The Great and Terrible Papyrus is never bested! And you’d better update your time—new record: sixteen seconds.”

Swap rolled his eye-lights, though oddly, a pale blush coloured his cheek bones. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s pretend you didn’t cheat with the whole ‘multiple orgasms’ loophole—but I’ll give it to you if it gets you to shut up.”

Fell huffed, still smirking. He wouldn’t let Swap take this away from him on a technicality—he had defeated him! “Well, let’s not forget which one of us made the other come nine times in twenty-two minutes!” Fell’s smile widened as the flush on Swap’s cheek bones deepened. Hastily, he shoved the lollipop back in his mouth, glancing away.

Fell tried to distract himself from the quick movement of Swap’s tongue by digging his phalanges into his femur. It was having very little effect. It came as a great relief to his rapidly increasing agitation when Swap slid off the bed, heading for the door. “Well, I’m not gonna lie to you Fell, as much as I love sucking you off—and receiving _eventual_ reciprocation—”

“Hey! Nine times in—”

“Oh stars, you’re never going to let that go are you.” Swap sighed, but amusement still twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Well,” he continued, with another _unnecessarily_ drawn out lick of the sweet in his mouth, “I’m gonna head home. And to be honest, I could do with a week off from you—no offence.”

Fell grunted. “Hm. None taken. I agree.” He managed to appear neutral, but for some reason, Swap’s words seemed to strike a chord with him. The lanky skeleton’s playful smirk immediately wiped any of these conflicted feelings however.

“Bet you’ll be counting down the days, you horny fuck,” Swap teased, grinning as he spun the lollipop between two fingers.

Fell’s eye sockets narrowed, and he pinned his doppelgänger with a steely expression. “Just as one counts down the days to his execution.”

Swap’s laugh was caught somewhere between surprise and amusement. “Ouch. Not gonna lie, Fell, that stung.”

Fell raised his brow bone, folding his arms across his chest. “Weren’t you leaving?”

Swap grinned, remaining still for a moment, eye-lights gazing over Fell in a way that was a little too attentive for Fell’s liking. His bones were starting to feel hot again. “Heh, alright then,” Swap said at last. “See you in a week, brat.”

“Don’t be late,” Fell said, and only a small part of him was joking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to apologise for taking so long with this update! Sadly, I'm in the middle of exams right now, so I have virtually no time to write. I've had this chapter pre-written for a few weeks, but I didn't get a chance to post it until now.  
> Next week is my last week of exams, and then I have some other stuff I need to get done, but I should be back to regular posting around mid-November!
> 
> Also side note: for anyone still waiting on an update for Corrupted Souls (my other fic), I'm going through a major block with that one, sadly ;-; I'm going to post more details over there later, but I might not get around to updating for a while still.
> 
> And one last thing! I keep forgetting to add this, but my tumblr is @alicedragons if anyone is interested! It is NSFW though, so please don't follow if you're under 18!
> 
> Okay, info dump over. Thank you so much for reading! <3


	4. Let's call it a night... or not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Fell educates Swap on the importance of consent... and learns that sometimes even distance isn't enough to stop late night fumblings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is very lighthearted, with both characters involved having good intentions--but, I would like to point out that there might be some slight consent issues here. I had a discussion with a friend before writing this chapter, and we both came to the agreement that the situation wouldn't be considered non-consensual, however, this is just the opinion of two people, so if anything in this chapter bothers you, please let me know and I will tag it accordingly.
> 
> I'll put more detailed warnings in the end notes, but other than that, I hope you enjoy!

Fell scowled, not bothering to knock as he pushed open the front door to the Underswap brothers’ house—not even locked, he noted. Those idiots. “Ashtray? Are you here?” He surveyed the living room, irritation already ticking in his mind. If this was a fucking joke… “Swap, you asshole, you’d better not be messing with—” Fell broke off with a gasp as he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist, someone pressing against his back.

“Hmm… hey brat, you got here fast.” Swap’s breath ghosted against Fell’s cheek, his hands running over Fell’s arms and spine. “Did you really miss me that much?” One of Swap’s fingers was tracing the jagged shape of Fell’s mouth, and he growled.

“What’s this about, you stupid prick?” Fell’s words were harsh, but he didn’t pull away, allowing Swap’s fingers to work deftly over his iliac crests and down towards his belt.

Swap chuckled softly against him, and Fell could feel the warmth of the other skeleton’s magic pressing against his tailbone. “Heh, take a wild guess, gorgeous.”

Fell huffed at Swap’s sarcasm, trying to control the rapid beating of his soul, and the way his breath quickened. But it was becoming increasingly challenging to ignore the gentle tracing of Swap’s delicate touches, and the soft breaths against the back of his neck. “W-well, what happened to not wanting to see me for at least another week?” Fell’s voice quavered as he spoke, breath hitching as Swap dipped his hand below the waistband of his pants. “It’s only been three days.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.” The casual tone of Swap’s voice was betrayed by the firm press of his magic against the base of Fell’s spine. Shit, he was already hard. It was doing little to help Fell quell his own excitement. “I said a week, didn’t I? Hmm…” Fell could almost feel Swap smirking as his teeth nipped gently over his vertebrae. “Yet I don’t hear you complaining. It took you all of, what? Ten minutes to get here?”

“I—I didn’t… it was l-longer than that!” Much of the bite in Fell’s tone was lost in the breathless gasps that he couldn’t seem to control. “A-and anyway,” he continued, trying to regain his composure—the sudden flicker of Swap’s tongue against his neck certainly wasn’t helping, “you were the one who—who called me. I didn’t… didn’t…” Fell’s words were lost in the haze of his arousal as he felt Swap’s nimble fingers tracing over his pubic symphysis, trying to coax his magic into forming something.

“Hmm, go on,” Swap purred, his teeth scraping against Fell’s neck and shoulder. Fell opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a sigh, drawn by the insistent press of Swap’s fingers against his pooling magic. He found his hand instinctively grasping onto Swap’s wrist—in an attempt to guide him or pull him away, Fell wasn’t entirely sure. “Mm, that’s right, Fell.” Swap’s breath against Fell’s neck sent a shudder down his spine. “Form something so I can fuck you. Stars, I need you so badly right now.”

Fell all but melted into Swap’s arms as his face was turned, their mouths meeting in a soft—but insistent—kiss. Fell let his eye sockets fall closed, allowing himself to revel in the sweet taste of Swap’s magic, hot against his own. It was only when Swap drew away, a breathless grin brightening his flushed features, that Fell noticed something was slightly… off. Perhaps his mind had been a little addled by his own arousal, but now that he was looking Swap directly in the eye, he could tell he’d been missing something.

The golden within Swap’s eye-lights was slightly paler than normal—almost unnoticeably, but Fell could see it standing this close—and they were slightly hazy too. Fell could also smell the cloying aroma of honey on the other’s breath, even more so than usual. And it was tainted by the underlying scent of…

“You’re drunk,” Fell said, deadpan, abruptly pulling away as his mind snapped back into focus. Swap’s smile faltered slightly, but otherwise, he remained sultry, surveying Fell with that hungry look that never failed to send tingles through Fell’s bones.

“Nah… I’m not,” Swap murmured, trying to press his teeth against Fell’s. “Just… really need you right now.” He cupped Fell’s skull delicately, and Fell’s attention was suddenly brought back to the earnest touches at his crotch. He immediately went stiff, grasping firmly onto Swap’s wrist to halt his ministrations.

“Don’t lie,” he snapped, pulling Swap’s hand away, and turning to face him. “I can smell it on you.”

Swap sighed laboriously, rolling his eye-lights. “Okay, maybe I had like… one or two. Anyway, what does it matter? Let’s just fuck.” Swap’s hand wandered to Fell’s hip, but was quickly slapped away when he tried reaching back down Fell’s trousers. He huffed, looking irritated. “Okay, what gives? Why are you acting like such a brat?”

Fell ignored the jab, instead focusing on keeping Swap’s eager hands away from his own bones. “I’m not fucking you while you’re drunk,” he said, blandly, levelling Swap with a stern look. Stars, how could he not have noticed this sooner? The smell was almost intoxicating, although perhaps he’d pegged the sweetness down to Swap’s natural aroma. But his cheek bones were flushed with golden magic, and even his movements were slightly more languid than normal.

“You’re not fucking me,” Swap said, trying to step towards Fell, but astutely blocked by a hand on his chest. “I’m fucking you. Come on, Fell—just—just take your damn clothes off.” Swap was starting to look frustrated, and Fell almost pitied him. But part of him couldn’t help but find the whole situation… a little concerning.

“We’re not fucking, Swap.” Fell made sure to inject a little more venom than he normally would into his tone. It seemed to work, because Swap stepped away, looking dejected.

“Right. Fine. I get it.” Swap pouted slightly, and Fell was reminded astoundingly of himself when he’d been in striped shirts. “Guess I’ll just head back to Muffet’s then,” Swap straightened his dishevelled clothes, making his way for the door. “Monsters there are a lot nicer than you…”

Fell frowned, pausing for a moment. While he knew this was only a Tale universe, he couldn’t stop the nagging doubt that kicked in with his baser instincts, telling him that letting Swap go in this state would not be a good idea. As Swap reached the door, Fell sighed resolutely. “Wait. Don’t go,” he said, hearing how exhausted he sounded already at the prospect of what he was about to do.

Swap immediately spun around, looking hopeful. “Heh. Come to your senses, have you?” He sauntered back over, grinning. “Can’t say I blame you,” he murmured, reaching for Fell’s (still unbuckled) pants. “Let’s—”

“No,” Fell growled firmly, grabbing Swap’s wrist. “You heard me. We’re not having sex while you’re drunk, idiot.” Swap looked taken aback—almost hurt. He yanked his hand out of Fell’s grip, glaring. Fell discretely used the opportunity to buckle his pants back up, hoping it would at least deter Swap slightly.

“Well then—then why did you ask me to stay!” Fell would have found the scandalised expression on Swap’s face amusing if he hadn’t felt so unsettled by his counterpart’s rash behaviour. He grit his teeth, trying to convince himself not to back out of what he’d just committed himself to.

“Where is your brother?” he asked, glancing around, although he was already fairly certain Blue wasn’t actually here, or Swap wouldn’t have invited him—drunk or not, their first rule had become almost sacred during these past few weeks of sneaking around.

To his surprise, Swap scoffed, rolling his eye-lights. “Not here, obviously. Now are we gonna fuck or are we gonna stand here talking about my brother? C’mon, Fell, it’s just upstairs…”

Fell pinched his nasal bridge, not bothering to stop Swap from draping an arm over his shoulders. “Alright, come on. Let’s go upstairs— _not_ for that reason,” he added, as Swap’s face lightened up.

“Ooh, but—but we’re gonna—?”

“We are _not_ going to have sex tonight,” Fell reiterated – with a little more force this time – as he half-dragged Swap up the stairs, supporting him with an arm around his waist. “Or any other night you decide to act this reckless and idiotic. Honestly, you’re lucky I’m helping you. I don’t know why I even bother with your ridiculous antics.”

“Heh.” Swap sloppily ran a finger over Fell’s mouth as he allowed himself to be manhandled down the corridor to his room. “It’s ‘cause you wanna fuck me.”

“Right,” Fell mumbled, deciding there was no point in arguing anymore. When they reached Swap’s room, he pushed open the door, guiding the inebriated skeleton inside. The scene that met him brought a grimace to his face. “Ugh. When was the last time you bothered cleaning this place?”

Swap grinned, his eye-lights unfocused as they surveyed Fell’s face. “Guess I’m just real dirty,” he said, with a smirk. Fell rolled his eye-lights, discarding Swap on the bed and opening the closet. If he’d had skin, it would have crawled at the sight of the disorganisation. Still, he shook off the thought, reminding himself that he was helping a… friend didn’t seem to be quite the right word.

“Right. Um, what do you sleep in?” he asked, examining the assortment of clothing with disdain.

Swap, who was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling with a lazy smile, glanced at Fell. “Wouldn’t you like to know~?”

“Ugh. Alright. Just put these on,” Fell said, withdrawing a clean (he certainly hoped) tank top from the disorder in Swap’s closet, along with a pair of comfortable (probably the only positive thing he could say about them) tracksuit pants.

Swap regarded the clothing with vague disinterest. “Why do you want me to put pyjamas on? Are we gonna sleep together? Hehe.” Swap chuckled quietly to himself, hands playing idly with the fabric of the shirt.

“You’re going to sleep. I’m going to sleep. In separate beds. We’re not going to sleep together—in any sense of the phrase.” Fell examined Swap dryly as he flopped back onto the bed, eye sockets closed. “Well, you’re free to wear whatever you wish to bed, I just assumed those would be more comfortable.”

Swap grinned, cracking one socket open and raising his brow bone at Fell. “How do you know I don’t sleep naked? If comfort’s what I’m going for.” He shot Fell a grin, who decided he was going to give himself a headache with all the eye-rolling he was doing tonight. Still, Swap had obliged nonetheless, pulling his hoodie off, so Fell simply opted to avert his gaze, staring at the cleanest corner of the room he could find (anything without that trash tornado would suffice, honestly). The seconds ticked by, the only audible sound the rustle of clothing, until Swap said, “You can look if you like, you know. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

Fell shook his head, not turning around. “I’ll look when you’re sober. Are you done?”

“Heh, I’m done, brat.” The familiar nickname was a small comfort at least, and Fell was grateful to see that Swap hadn’t ‘conveniently’ forgotten any articles of clothing when he turned back around. He approached the bed, a little cautiously, taking Swap’s hoodie and throwing it on top of the steadily rising pile of laundry. Swap frowned. “Hey, that was good for at least another two weeks.”

Fell had to swallow to stop himself from gagging. “I can’t believe I actually have sex with you. Alright, in the bed, idiot.”

Swap grinned up at him as he climbed under the covers. “Sure you don’t wanna join me? It’s very warm and snuggly. Last chance.”

Fell shook his head, giving Swap a deadpan look. “I’m positive.”

Swap chuckled, shrugging. “Suit yourself. But I guarantee, you’re missing out.” Fell resisted the urge to roll his eyes, regarding Swap impassively.

“I’ll be sure to make a note of that.” Once Swap was tucked in, Fell cleared his throat, unsure whether or not there was anything else he could do without crossing some sort of line. “Right, um, perhaps I should call Blue. Let him know you’re home alright.”

Swap gave a nonchalant wave of his hand, scoffing. “Pfft, why bother him when you’re here… why don’t you stay?”

Fell clacked his teeth together in irritation. “For the last time, asshole, we’re not—”

“Not like that,” Swap said, quickly. “I mean… just sit.” He smiled up at Fell, and it almost would have looked genuine, were it not for the way his eye-lights seemed unable to focus on Fell’s face.

Still, Fell couldn’t deny he was a little taken aback. Thus far, their relationship extended little beyond sex and snappy insults. “Why would you want me to…?” Fell gestured vaguely at the bed, unsure what exactly Swap was asking of him.

The amusement didn’t leave Swap’s eyes – though it seldom did – and he patted the sheets beside him. “Just… sit with me. What if I try to run off back to Muffet’s? Who will stop me?” He gave Fell a smirk, who sighed in defeat, sitting down beside him. For a few moments, silence reigned, and Fell began to feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t often that he and Swap spent time in each other’s presence unless they were having sex. This felt a little too much like something friends would do—and they were _not_ friends, Fell assured himself. Swap’s gaze was set on his face, with an alarming amount of perception for someone intoxicated. What exactly was he trying to…?

“So, how’s that anti-dusting shit treating you?” Fell was surprised by the question, perhaps mostly because he’d assumed Swap wouldn’t care—or in fact, that he even _knew_ about the anti-dusting policies, let alone anything about the politics of Fell’s universe. He glanced down to find his counterpart staring at the sheets as he pulled on a loose thread. “You’re not getting too pent up, are you?” Swap asked, not looking up.

Fell shrugged. “I suppose I have you to remedy that.” He almost regretted his words as Swap looked up, grinning.

“S’pose you do.” Thankfully, Swap didn’t pursue that line of thought. In truth though, the anti-dusting laws Undyne was trying to implement were getting to Fell’s head a bit. While he appreciated her attempt to establish a little order, Fell couldn’t help but feel the policy was slightly counterproductive. There was no real weight behind his threats anymore, and threats were often what helped him keep the peace—ironically. And keep his brother—and now, his new… friends—safe. He hadn’t voiced these thoughts to Red—his brother didn’t need any more weighing on his mind. And though Swap wasn’t exactly Fell’s first choice for whom to unload his troubles on, a part of him really just needed to talk about it.

“It’s been… challenging,” he admitted after a few moments. He examined Swap with scrutiny, waiting for him to make some joke about Fell’s enjoyment of murder or lack of self-control. But instead, he simply nodded.

“I get that… I suppose. Can’t imagine what would happen if someone took my cigarettes away.” He gave Fell an accusatory look, mind obviously on Fell’s ban of post-coital smoking, but Fell frowned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, feeling a little taken off guard. “Do you think I enjoy having to—”

Swap quickly shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. Maybe that was a bad analogy… well, it’s not entirely off. I know you don’t enjoy… what you do, but you have to admit, it is a bit of an outlet for you.”

Fell was shaking his head, a protest on the tip of his tongue, but then he paused. He couldn’t deny, there was a small seed of truth to Swap’s words. He hated to admit that his LOVE was a part of him, but sometimes… it really got to him. He’d grow frustrated if he went too long without using his magic—and in Underfell, killing was often the easiest way to do that, as it often went hand in hand with staying alive. “I…” He hesitated, not quite sure what to say. How did he justify his feelings to a Tale verse monster? “I wish I didn’t have to… I mean, I don’t _have_ to, of course. But, it’s just… easy.” He fell silent, wishing he could defend himself, but knowing there wasn’t much he could say to condone the fact that a ‘no killing’ law was something that bothered him—especially not to a Tale verse monster. And judging by Swap’s silence, Fell figured his counterpart was busy contemplating the best way to tell Fell how messed up he was.

Swap was the only Tale verse monster he’d encountered who hadn’t been so reserved in hiding his disapproval of Fell’s lifestyle. Even Sans at least made an effort to mask it behind poorly executed jokes and puns. But Swap wasn’t quite so subtle. Which was exactly why Fell was so taken aback when Swap simply nodded. “The worst things always are,” he said. “Easy, I mean. I know Blue hates it when I smoke, but I do it anyway—'cause it’s too hard to quit. I know I should clean up this mess—” he gestured vaguely at his room “—but I don’t. ‘Cause it’s easier not to. I know fucking you is bad, but I do it anyway, ‘cause you’re easy.” Swap chuckled at the dull look Fell gave him.

“And here I thought we were actually going to have a serious conversation.” Fell rose from the bed. Though, he had to admit, he was sort of glad Swap had steered away from that topic. He wasn’t overly fond of opening up about his feelings—and the fact that it was Swap coaxing his thoughts out of him was extremely disconcerting. Besides, if the increasing heaviness in Swap’s voice was anything to go by, he would be asleep soon. “And I’m not _easy,”_ he added, unable to resist defending his honour. “I have extremely high standards!”

“I don’t like serious conversations,” Swap said, without a trace of sarcasm. He tilted his head, brow bone raised. “And guess those high standards are serving you well, since I’m pretty much the only person you sleep with.”

Fell flared, cheek bones going red with indignation. “N-no! That’s not—And who says you’re the only person I sleep with?”

“Well, considering it’s a Saturday night, and you’re here with me, I’m going to assume you have nowhere better to be.”

Fell’s cheek bones flushed brighter. “Y-you—” He broke off, shaking his head, and tried to compose himself by straightening his clothes, marching deliberately towards the door. “Ugh. Well. I’m going to bed. I have no intention of staying here a moment longer if you’re going to be so utterly abhorrent.”

Swap’s amusement didn’t falter as he regarded Fell—if anything, it seemed Fell’s bitterness spurred him on. “Sure you don’t wanna stay?” he asked, sounding almost hopeful. “I promise I wasn’t lying about the bed being warm.” Swap pulled the sheets right up to his chin, and Fell couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from twitching slightly.

“I’m certain,” he said, firmly, though there wasn’t as much venom in his voice as there had been before. “Goodnight.” Switching the light off, he opened the door, and was about to leave when Swap called out.

“Fell?”

Fell turned, brow bone raised. “Swap, I’m not staying. I don’t care how warm the—”

“No, that’s not—why are you being nice to me?”

Fell stiffened slightly, pointedly avoiding Swap’s gaze. “I’m not. You’re an asshole and I’m leaving.”

“You could have left ten minutes ago,” Swap pointed out. “But you helped me… why?”

Fell wished Swap would go back to making ridiculous jokes. He wasn’t sure how to answer this question, especially not with Swap regarding him so intently. The hazy flicker of his golden eye-lights threatened to bring the blush back to Fell’s cheek bones. He shook his head, hand twisting the doorknob back and forth idly. “Sorry, it wasn’t intentional. I’ll remember for next time.”

Swap smiled, and Fell cursed the way his soul seemed to skip a beat. “I hope you forget.”

Fell swallowed. What… what on earth did that mean? “Um. Right. Well, goodnight Swap—and don’t you dare leave this room until you’re sober,” he added, for good measure. “And before you ask—no, I won’t fuck you until you’re sober either.”

Swap’s eye sockets had already drifted closed, and he gave a vague salute. “Gotcha. I’ll top.”

Fell didn’t even bother deigning that with a response. He sighed, closing the door, whispering one last, “Goodnight, asshole,” though he wasn’t sure Swap had heard him, as his soft breathing was already audible in the quiet room.

 

****

 

Fell arrived home a lot later than intended. While he’d planned on heading straight home after leaving Underswap, he’d found himself on a detour to Grillby’s before his mind could catch up. Well, he supposed a drink hadn’t been the worst of ideas. His thoughts were a little dulled now—which was exactly what he needed to get to sleep. Stars, why had Swap been acting so… cordial? Friendly even. It was unsettling. All the questions about his job, and his life—

It didn’t matter. Fell didn’t need to think about that. All he really wanted was to climb into bed and try and find some semblance of sleep. A glance upstairs told him that Red had probably already gone to bed, his bedroom door shut. Fell’s gaze wandered to the kitchen, and he frowned to himself. Would another drink really hurt…?

Mind already made up, Fell marched to the kitchen, deciding that—no, another drink really wouldn’t hurt at all. Once he’d poured himself a glass of bourbon, he sat at the kitchen table, sipping it slowly. The gentle burn in his throat, and gradual sense of calm that washed over his bones drew some of the tension from him. He leaned back in the chair, letting his eye sockets fall closed. Honestly, he could probably just go sleep right here…

An invasive buzzing snapped Fell out of his sleepy haze, and he scowled at his phone, which had started vibrating on the table. Who would be…? Irritation flared in Fell as he saw the caller ID displayed on the screen. Picking up, he growled, “Ashtray, you piece of shit, why are you—”

“Oh, fuck Fell, I’m so glad you’re still awake~”

Oh stars. Swap’s words were very noticeably slurred, his tone practically dripping with that seductive undertone that made Fell’s mind spin. “Fuck, Swap—are you… drunk… _again?”_ Fell couldn’t hide his disbelief.

“That would be an affirmative, Lieutenant.” Fell could practically see the mock-salute Swap was likely giving him through the phone.

“Swap, I—I left over two hours ago! That honey should have worn off by now.”

Swap scoffed, and Fell could hear the sound of sheets rustling—he was still in bed? “Like I don’t keep a secret stash in my room, idiot.”

Fell was shaking his head, nasal bridge pinched between two fingers. “You’re unbelievable,” he said, taking a sip of his own drink. The irony wasn’t lost on him, but he certainly wasn’t about to admit to Swap that he was indulging in precisely the thing he’d spent most of the evening chastising the other skeleton for. “I—I told you not to—”

“You told me not to leave my room,” Swap said, clicking his tongue—stars, he’d summoned his tongue. What was he…? “I did not leave my room.”

“Well, I don’t understand why you decided to call me,” Fell said, trying to force some irritation into his voice, although the less functional part of his mind was curious to see where this was going… damn it. Maybe those drinks weren’t such a good idea after all. “You know we’re not having sex tonight—stars, you’re even drunker than you were earlier.”

“That’s right. You did say that. But…” Swap paused, and Fell wasn’t sure if it was for dramatic effect, or if he’d just zoned out in his inebriated state. “You didn’t expressly forbid me from drinking anymore. And…” A breathy laugh from Swap’s end of the line. “We can still have some fun without actually having sex~.”

Fell’s composure was quickly wavering, a flush rising to his cheek bones. “Swap…”

“Stars. Fell. I can think of so many things I’d like to do to you right now.”

Fell was not going to survive this.

Perhaps it was the fact that the alcohol had started to properly kick in, or perhaps it was the fact that he could suddenly hear that Swap’s breaths were a little too uneven to be natural—but he caved. “L-like what?” he asked, voice unsteady. Swallowing tightly, he took a quick sip of his drink.

And. Oh. Oh stars. That was definitely the sound of Swap removing items of clothing. His soul was already thumping hastily in his chest, his magic buzzing agitatedly. “Well~” Swap said, “I can think of one or two things—but first, I want to be able to picture you. Where are you right now? In bed?”

“I’m—I’m in the kitchen,” Fell whispered, his voice already shaking slightly with excitement.

“Hah, well, I have to admit, getting laid on the table has always been a fantasy of mine.”

Fell frowned. “Was that—really? At a time like this!”

Swap chuckled softly. “Any time for you, Fell~.” Despite the context, the breathy way Swap said his name sent shivers down Fell’s spine. “But I wonder…” Swap went on, and this time there was a mischievous edge to his voice, “how long would the Great and Terrible Papyrus be able to keep a straight face with my face between his legs?” Fell’s magic buzzed, and he shakily brought his glass to his mouth—only to find it empty. He barely managed to keep his hand steady long enough to refill it.

“I-I could keep a straight face!” he hissed, though he was betrayed by the breathlessness of his voice.

“Oh could you? I needn’t remind you of how good my mouth feels on your cock. I could make you last for hours if I wanted. Savour the taste o-of you…” Swap’s breath hitched slightly, but he continued. “Swallow you, until you begged me to let you come, or just lost control completely and fucked my mouth so hard I couldn’t speak for a week.”

Fell only realised he’d been gripping onto the kitchen table when he heard the wood splinter. Closing his eye sockets and taking a deep breath, he let go, allowing his hand to trail to his belt instead. “S-Swap, fuck…”

“But. We already know how that story goes,” Swap said, abruptly, his voice losing its sultry edge. “I did suck you off twelve times in a week after all.”

Fell’s brow creased at Swap’s mention of their little spat from the other day. “I can’t believe you’re bringing that up, you—”

“Hmm, no,” Swap went on, ignoring Fell. “I think I’d prefer to feel _your_ mouth on _my_ cock. Fuck. That delicious mouth of yours. I could kiss you for hours.” The words were spoken with an odd amount of tenderness that sent an unexpected jolt of warmth through Fell. He decided to blame it on the drinking—and took it as a cue to take another sip of his bourbon.

“Well,” Swap continued, “maybe not hours. I’m not sure I’d have the patience. I’d very much like to sample your oral talents in other areas.” Swap’s voice had dipped, adopting an almost gravelly quality. “I wonder how it would feel. To have the Great and Terrible Papyrus on his knees before me, utterly subservient to my will. Fuck. Just the thought makes me hard.” Swap’s breathing was heavy, and Fell could picture him casually palming his cock in the darkness of his room. The image—along with the sounds Swap was making—sent a flare of warmth through Fell’s magic, his own cock forming in the confines of his pants, which felt unbearably tight.

“Swap, please… can I…?”

The raspy chuckle from the other end of the line caused Fell to still his hand on the buckle of his belt. “Oh Fell,” Swap murmured. “Are you asking my permission to touch yourself?” Fell clenched his teeth, wishing he could deny it. But at the same time… he just wanted to give up control, if only for a moment. His silence seemed to give Swap his answer, because laughed softly again. “Hah, well, I’m not quite sure I’m ready to let you do that just yet… I… I want to see you.” Swap sounded almost anxious to make the request, almost as if he were asking permission.

But Fell held no qualms about it, already unbuckling his pants and sliding them down his femurs. His cock stood completely erect, precum already trickling from the head. “Heh. A fan of show and tell, are we?” Swap’s voice sounded from the other end of the line, and Fell figured he’d heard him undoing his belt. “Can’t say I’m opposed.”

“Swap, do—do you want me to…?”

“Send it, Fell.”

The commanding tone sent a shiver through Fell, Swap’s words going straight to his cock. Struggling to keep his hand steady, he opened the camera of his phone. Fell had never been the type to be ashamed—stars, even he could admit to himself that he could be downright narcissistic at times. But for some reason, in that moment, a deep blush rose to his cheek bones, as he aimed the camera at his glowing crotch. It felt a little… obscene. With his free hand, he took another gulp of his drink, downing the remainder of the glass. But even the alcohol didn’t seem enough to calm his nerves. He swallowed, hesitating.

Thankfully, Swap seemed to sense his discomfort, because he whispered softly, “Hey Fell, it’s okay if you don’t want to. I can think of plenty of other ways to make you fall apart. I know I can make you scream without even touching you.” His tone was gentle—despite the lewdness of his suggestions. Still, Fell hated backing down from a challenge, so he steeled himself, shaking his head.

“N-no… I want to. I…”

“How about I give you a little encouragement? Would you like that?”

“Encouragement? What do you—?”

“Hang on a sec.” Fell frowned in confusion, but a moment later, the buzz of an incoming text cleared his doubts. There was an image attachment from Swap. Oh. Stars. Fell’s fingers were barely stable enough to open the image. His breath hitched at the sight of Swap’s magic. Fuck, he’d forgotten how much he liked the colour of it. The soft gold complemented the sheer size of his cock, and Fell instinctively began trailing a hand over his ribs, sharp fingers catching on some of the rougher edges in a way that sent a pleasant buzz through his bones. He let his eye sockets drift closes, sighing contentedly at the smooth feeling.

“Heh, hey brat. Don’t go having all the fun without me.” Swap’s voice brought Fell back to reality, eyes slowly opening.

“Fuck, Swap…” he breathed. “You look…” Fell couldn’t stop the rising apprehension that accompanied any dirty talk. Shit, why was he so reserved today? Normally he had no problem when it came to words—especially in the bedroom, but somehow, this felt a lot more intimate.

“How about you let me do the talking,” Swap said, and—oh stars, that authoritative edge had returned to his voice. Fell went quiet, though he couldn’t stop the soft pants that escaped him, the movement on his ribs not faltering. “Heh. Good boy.” Shit. Fell’s cock twitched, and he pressed a hand to his mouth to stop himself from whimpering. “I love this side of you, Fell. So obedient. Fuck, you’d look good on your knees; I don’t know how long I’d be able to control myself before I just bent you over and fucked you till you screamed.”

This time, Fell couldn’t stop himself from releasing a breathless moan. This seemed to delight Swap to no end, if his heady laughter was anything to go by. “Hah, stars above you sound amazing—Fell, I need to see you.” Any anxieties over sending the photo had evaporated, Fell lost in the thralls of his arousal and the yearning Swap’s praise sent through him. Shakily, he managed to take a clear enough picture of his throbbing cock. If the gasp Swap emitted was any indication of his own feelings on the matter, he was more than pleased with what he was seeing. “Fuck. Fell, you’re—you’re so good for me. Such a good boy. Not touching yourself without my permission. Fuck… you look so good.”

Fell whined, unable to stop himself, the ache of his leaking cock reaching the point where it was almost intolerable. “Swap… please…”

“Not yet, love~” Swap purred, and Fell could hear the slick sounds of his hand on his cock as he sped up his pace. The fucker. Fell wanted nothing more than to imitate his actions, but… a deeper part of him felt wild with lust at the concept of being completely subservient to Swap’s commands. Normally he would have felt that such behaviour was beneath him—to roll over and obey so compliantly—but right now, Fell wasn’t sure he’d ever been so turned on. “Hmm, I wonder…” Swap murmured, thoughtfully, and Fell could hear the familiar lazy drawl to his voice. “I’d still like to see what your pretty little mouth is capable of… conjure a tongue for me, Fell.”

Fell took mere moments to oblige, hot magic filling his mouth at the simple prospect of sucking Swap off. “S-Swap,” he whined, cursing how desperate he sounded, “I—I w-want—I need to… to taste you…”

“Fucking stars,” Swap panted. “I bet you would, pet. But you have to earn it. I—I want you to send me something else. Since you love having things in your mouth—how about you add a couple of fingers?”

Fell had taken the photo before Swap had even finished speaking. Though it didn’t feel quite the same as what he ached for, Fell sucked on his fingers, saliva dripping down his hand freely. His cock ached, begging to be touched as he heard Swap’s breath become ragged. “Holy shit, Fell, I…”

“Swap, I—I can’t—please, it’s too much…” Fell gripped desperately onto the table, an almost animalistic desire crashing over him.

“Oh Fell, fuck, you’re amazing… you—”

Fell couldn’t take it anymore. Dignity no longer on his mind, he whined desperately, tears pooling in his eye sockets. “M-multi! Multi—oh fuck, Swap please! I can’t—I can’t take it! Please—l-let me—”

“T-touch yourself for me, Fell,” Swap gasped, Fell’s use of the designated safe word seeming to have cracked his composure. “I want you to make yourself come—for _me._ I want to hear you—ah—scream my—my name…”

Fell had never been more eager to follow an order in his life. The relief he felt as he hastily began to run his hand over his shaft was indescribable. Warmth flooded his bones, and he began to moan and gasp without restraint. The noises from Swap that accompanied his own only served to heighten his pleasure. Swap muttered praise and muffled curses between breaths, and Fell could tell the other skeleton was close. Clearly, so long spent edging Fell had done little to keep his own desires in check.

That being said, Fell wasn’t far off himself, each touch bringing him closer to completion. He began to pump his cock with vigour, no longer able to fetter the urge to reach his peak. “Swap…” he whined, beyond caring how needy he sounded. “Please, I’m so close…”

Swap’s answering chuckle sent heat through Fell’s bones—even in a moment like this, Fell could picture the amused smirk he so often wore. “Hah, yeah? You want to come, Fell?” The assertiveness in Swap’s tone was betrayed by his faltering gasps. “Not until I say so.”

Fell swallowed, a low moan escaping him. His body was beginning to clench up, spine arching and toes curling under the table. Tears streaked down his face, and he cried out desperately, hand frantically pumping his throbbing cock. “Swap—ah—I need…”

“Beg me for it, Fell,” Swap hissed between his teeth, possessiveness creeping into his voice.

Mind reeling with heat and desperation, Fell whined, “Please, Swap—oh stars, please, let me come. I need it—I… I need you—oh fuck, Swap, please…”

For a brief moment, silence resonated from the other end of the call, nothing audible but Swap’s suddenly quiet breaths. Then, in a voice that would keep Fell up for nights to come, Swap growled, “Come for me, Fell. I want to hear you say my name.”

Fell gasped, spilling hot magic over his hand and femurs, soul racing as he moaned. “Oh fuck—Swap… oh stars…” Sweet nothings mingled with Swap’s name tumbled from Fell’s mouth as he came, his vision blurring for a brief second as spurts of pale crimson leaked from his cock. The relief was incredible, his entire body humming with warmth as he came down from his high, settling into his post-orgasmic bliss. He slumped back in the chair, dropping his arm to his side, still clutching the phone.

After about a minute, he gathered the willpower to lift the device back to the side of his skull. “Fuck, Ashtray,” he breathed, still feeling pleasantly hazy, “you were…” Fell swallowed, “perfect.”

Fell couldn’t hear anything apart from Swap’s soft breaths, and for a second, he wondered if the other skeleton hadn’t heard him. Then he heard the sound of sheets rustling, and a throaty chuckle that brought a small smile to his face. “Can’t take all the credit, brat. You made me come harder than I have in days.”

Fell frowned. “We—we haven’t had sex in… oh.”

“Heh. Always a pleasure doing business with you, Fell.”

Fell shifted in his chair, bones still tingling slightly. He could feel drowsiness setting in – likely a combination of both alcohol and his recent activities. And strangely, the gentle sound of Swap’s breathing left him feeling calm, almost lulling him into a pleasant doze. His eye sockets drifted closed, his conscious mind aware of nothing but the quiet breaths on the other end of the phone…

“Hey brat, you with me?” Swap’s voice broke through Fell’s haze, and he slowly blinked his eyes open.

“Hmm yep…” he hummed softly. “Wide awake.”

“Heh, alright, I’ll let you sleep but… I just wanted to say that…” Swap trailed off, sounding hesitant. “Well, uh, you were pretty amazing tonight. And um, yeah, it was… nice.”

Nice. Fell mulled over the word. Nice could mean a number of things. Though the most likely meaning was just that. Nice. Not bad. Not amazing. Just… nice. But then. There was a small part of Fell that sort of hoped that maybe it meant… more.

Fell scowled to himself, shaking his head. Why was he overthinking this so much? It was just a word. Why should he even care what it meant? Drawing himself out of his thoughts, he cleared his throat, and said, “Yes, it was. Though… I propose we make a new rule—no more drinking before sex.”

Swap laughed quietly. “Ha, alright, I suppose that’s fair. What’s that now—number ten?”

“Eleven,” Fell corrected. “Ten was no smoking before—or after—sex.”

“What? That was never an official rule!”

Fell frowned, pausing. “It wasn’t? Oh, well it is now. It’s a filthy habit, Ashtray.”

Fell could practically hear Swap rolling his eyes as he scoffed. “Well. I’d like to see you try and stop me now.”

“Hm. Feel free. I have no intention of setting foot in that garbage dump you call a bedroom again in my waking life.”

“Heh. That’s really too bad. I can think of so many things I’d like to do to you on this bed.”

“Look, I know you’re trying to flirt—but seriously, Swap. Nothing is a bigger turn off than that room.”

Swap’s soft laughter sent an unwarranted warmth through Fell’s bones. “That’s okay; we’ll just have to find more creative locations.” Fell’s mouth curled into a smile against his will. “Well, uh, what about… phone sex then?” Swap asked, sounding a little hesitant. “That off the table too?”

Fell’s smile widened. “Oh Swap. That is very much on the table.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mildly dubious consent, drunk sex (no actual physical contact, I won't give away too many spoilers though)
> 
> My tumblr is [@alicedragons](https://alicedragons.tumblr.com/) for anyone who is interested! I post my own stuff there, and the rest is mostly just Undertale art and fic reblogs. (It is NSFW though, so 18+ only please!)


	5. Late night confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Fell admits to some things he'd rather keep buried under the three hundred layers of brooding edginess he wears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little later than normal! I've been sick this past week so my brain has been pretty bleh. We are also reaching the finale of this fic, and I keep rewriting stuff because I'm a perfectionist who is awful at sticking to my plans.  
> To be completely honest, I wasn't 100% keen on posting this chapter yet, since I haven't written the next one, and I like to be ahead in case I need to go back and change things.  
> But. Meh.  
> I'm sure it'll figure itself out! (Hopefully)  
> So, please enjoy! xx
> 
> Warnings in the end notes (there is a pretty important one, but this chapter has an overall feel-good vibe (if I wrote it well enough, that is))

“You can at least pretend to look happy to see me, brat.”

“Where are our brothers?” Fell asked, ignoring Swap in favour of glancing over his shoulder, as if Red and Blue might be hiding behind him. Swap slid into the booth beside Fell, who gave him a scowl, shuffling to the opposite side.

“Said they wanted to grab something to eat before coming here,” Swap said with a shrug. Fell grimaced as he withdrew a pack of cigarettes from his hoodie pocket, placing one between his teeth.

“Don’t you—put that thing away!” Fell snapped, trying to reach for Swap’s lighter. But the lazier skeleton pulled away, regarding him with a dubious smirk.

“Are we having sex, asshole? I can smoke if I want. Muff doesn’t care.” Fell opened his mouth to retort, but figured there was no point arguing, so he folded his arms stiffly, silently fuming. He tried to ignore the laid-back smirk on Swap’s face, glancing away and tapping his fingers on the table.

For a couple of minutes, silence reigned between them, the sound of buzzing conversation and clinking glasses growing louder as Muffet’s bar filled up for happy hour. Fell sipped idly on his own drink, trying not to let his eyes wander to Swap, intent on maintaining an indifferent façade. He was almost regretting pre-emptively ordering a drink (or two) before Swap had arrived—he hadn’t forgotten their eleventh rule, and had no intention of breaking it. Still, it would have been nice to blow off some steam while they waited for their brothers. Fell couldn’t deny the fact that it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his gaze off Swap, who had closed his eyes closed, and was leaning back against the cushions of the booth.

“Hang on a minute,” Fell said, something suddenly occurring to him. Swap cracked an eye socket open, brow bone raised. “Why are our brothers eating before coming here? We’re—we’re supposed to be having dinner with them!”

Swap frowned for a minute, as if in thought. But, he gave a shrug, making a non-committal noise. “Eh, Blue hates this place. And I guess the stuff here is too sweet for Red.” A sly smirk crossed Swap’s features. “You don’t mind sweet things though, do you Fell?”

Fell managed to control his magic, shoving down the blush that threatened to colour his cheek bones. “They’re alright,” he said, waving his hand in nonchalance. “As long as they aren’t speaking.”

Swap gave a soft laugh, and it took a significant amount of self-restraint for Fell to keep the smile off his face. _Damn it. He hated that stupid laugh. Why would he…?_

“So, you wanna play a game?” Swap asked, stubbing his cigarette out against the table. Fell blinked, frowning.

“A game? What are you talking about?”

Swap shrugged, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small coin. “Just a little time-passer. You win the toss—you get to dare me to do something; I win—you’re gonna start losing articles of clothing, Fell.”

Fell stared, his soul skipping a beat. “What… _what?”_

Swap chuckled, shaking his head as he skilfully flicked the coin between his fingers. “I’m messing with you, brat. No kinky stuff allowed—as per rule number eleven.”

Fell breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Are we going to be drinking?”

“Oh, I’m definitely going to need a couple of drinks in me for this—it tends to get a little… personal.” Swap winked, and Fell glanced away, taking a sip of his drink to hide the pale blush on his cheeks. A small spiderling scuttled over, wearing a purple bow and… tiny shoes on all eight of its feet. Fell wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to this world. “Just two ciders,” Swap said. The spiderling leaned close to whisper something to him, and Swap gave a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “Heh. Just the normal ones. He isn’t coming home with me tonight—at least not in that way.” Swap smirked up at Fell as the spiderling scurried away to the bar, and the latter frowned in confusion.

“The… normal ones?”

Swap gave a dismissive wave of his hand, pulling another cigarette from his pocket. “Don’t worry about it. Ready for round one?” He turned the small coin between his thumb and forefinger, reaching for his lighter.

Fell nodded, regarding the cigarette with disdain. “Yes.”

Swap raised his brow bone. “Heads or tails?”

Fell narrowed his eye sockets, folding his arms across his chest. “Like I trust you not to rig the toss—flip it first, then I’ll choose.”

Swap grinned, tongue flicking over his teeth for a brief moment. “You Underfell bastards are so uptight. Do you doubt my honesty?”

Fell stared at Swap, deadpan. “Completely.”

“Heh. Smart guy. Have it your way then.” Swap flicked the coin into the air, Fell calling heads before it landed. Swap’s smirk didn’t falter as he revealed the coin, and for a brief moment, Fell’s soul flipped. “Heads it is,” Swap said, and Fell slumped with relief. He wasn’t eager to discover what exactly Swap had in store for him.

“Hmm…” Fell’s gaze glided over Swap as if in thought, though he already knew what his first dare was going to be. “No more smoking for the rest of the night.” He leaned back, feeling very satisfied at the small scowl Swap gave him.

“Ugh. Asshole.” Swap put away his lighter, shoving the cigarette back in its box. “Hm. Round two.”

“Tails,” Fell called, as Swap flipped the coin into the air. He grimaced as Swap revealed the outcome—perhaps more so because the smirk had returned to Swap’s face.

“Heh. My turn. I dare you to…” Swap’s eyes wandered over Fell in a way that made him feel awfully exposed. He glanced at the bar, tapping his fingers on the table. These drinks were taking a dreadfully long time. “Take off your scarf,” Swap said at last.

Fell looked up, eyes widening. Instinctively, he reached a hand protectively up to the red fabric. “W-what? No! You said no stripping.”

Swap scoffed, giving a wave of his hand. “Please, it’s hardly stripping.”

“Then—then why do you want me to take it off?” Fell asked, indignantly.

“’Cause I wanna wear it,” Swap said, shrugging as if it were the most normal request in the Underground. Inexplicably, this made Fell’s soul lurch. He felt a heat rising to his cheek bones, and he scowled at the table, slowly unravelling his scarf from his neck.

“Fine. But you’d better give it back at the end of the night, Ashtray.” He handed the scarf to Swap with a slight lump in his throat, his neck suddenly feeling very on display. The spiderling scuttling back over with their drinks was a welcome sight, and Fell gulped almost half of his down before the little monster had even disappeared back into the crowd. He glanced up, and his soul stuttered slightly at the sight of Swap wearing his scarf.

While the red didn’t exactly complement the bright orange of Swap’s hoodie, Fell couldn’t stop the traitorous thoughts that told him Swap looked very… good, in his clothing. He swallowed down the magic pooling in his mouth, glancing at the coin in Swap’s hand. “Well? Round three?”

Swap smiled, hand brushing against the scarf for a brief moment as he flipped the coin into the air, Fell calling tails again (his hand clenched into a fist under the table). “Heads,” Swap said, and Fell grumbled, glowering at the bottom of his empty glass as he placed it on the table. Swap surveyed Fell for a moment, before saying, “How are things between you and Red?”

Fell’s gaze shot up in surprise, eye sockets going wide. “What? That isn’t a dare!”

Swap rolled his eye-lights, huffing. “Fine. I dare you to tell me how things are between you and Red.”

Fell swallowed thickly, hearing his own knuckles cracking as he clenched his fist harder. He really didn’t want to answer this question. Not least because he was pretty certain Swap was just trying to get under his metaphorical skin. But when he looked up, Swap was observing him with startling sincerity, and Fell couldn’t help but wonder if he was genuinely curious. “Why are you even asking…?” he said, eventually. “What’s it to you what constitutes my relationship with my brother?”

Swap shrugged, swirling his glass absent-mindedly as he picked at a chipped part of the table. “Red’s been spending a fair bit of time with my brother… more than normal. I only wondered if…”

“Things are fine,” Fell said, stiffly.

“Are you sure?” Swap asked, looking up. Fell glanced at him, not bothering to hide his irritation, and Swap quickly shook his head. “I—I mean, I don’t want to pry, but… you can tell me if something’s bothering you.”

Fell grimaced, glaring at the table. This felt an awful lot like the other night, when Swap had somehow managed to coax him into spilling his feelings. Though… it hadn’t been entirely awful, having someone to talk to. Even if it was Swap. With a reluctant sigh, he conceded (though not before downing the remainder of his drink). “Things aren’t…” he swallowed, unsure how to proceed without bearing his soul to his counterpart. “I’m not the only one affected by my… impulses,” he finally admitted, his throat feeling tight. “The anti-dusting thing, it… well, perhaps I’ve been a little more abrasive than necessary with my brother recently.”

Swap raised his brow bone, his faint amusement betrayed by the brief flicker of sympathy in his eyes. “More abrasive than normal? How’d you even manage that?”

Fell scowled, waving him off. Naturally, Swap had chosen the most inappropriate moment to make a joke at Fell’s expense (he denied the small voice that told him Swap had done it for his benefit rather than to his detriment). “Trust you to use any opportunity to mock me.”

Swap raised his glass. “Cheers to that. Next round?” he asked, coin already in the air.

“Yes. Heads.”

Swap glanced at the coin, smiling faintly. “Tails.” Fell glowered, going to take a sip of his drink, only to find it empty. Swap seemed to notice his disgruntlement, because he chuckled. “Alright, I’ll give you an easy one—you get the next round of drinks.”

Fell glanced at his empty glass, and shrugged with a sigh. “Fine—but only because I’m empty. Otherwise you’d be marching that lazy ass of yours up there yourself.”

“If you weren’t so attractive, I might actually be pissed at you for calling my beautiful ass lazy.”

Flustered, Fell spluttered his annoyance as he scrambled from his seat, hurrying over to the bar as Swap chuckled quietly behind him. He wasn’t sure how much more of Swap’s incessant flirting he could handle. His cheek bones were already burning like a furnace, and he could feel unwelcome magic humming through his bones. He swallowed thickly as he approached the bar, ignoring the irritated grumbles of the monsters he pushed past. Much to his relief, Muffet scurried over to him as soon as he sat down—whether it was because he was here with Swap, or simply because of his physical appearance, Fell wasn’t sure (nor did he care, really). “What can I get for you, dearie~?” she asked, in that uncomfortably trilling voice of hers.

Fell glanced at Swap for a moment, only to find the lazy skeleton smirking at him, Fell’s scarf twisted around his hand. Fell flushed deeply, quickly looking away. “Um, just two ciders.” He tapped his fingers on the bar, keeping his gaze firmly planted on the dingy wood, trying to force his blush down.

Muffet stood in front of him for a moment, observing him curiously. Fell noticed her gaze briefly flickering to Swap, before she said, “And were those the normal ciders, or…?”

Fell’s eyes snapped up, and he felt involuntary magic crackling in one of his sockets. “The _normal_ ones,” he hissed, having a pretty good idea of what the other cider might be. Aphrodisiacs were fairly common where he was from, and while this was only a Tale universe, Fell wouldn’t put it past the most sordid of monsters in any universe to use them.

As if on cue, a beady eyed monster sidled up to him as Muffet wandered off to get the drinks. “You know, if you’re looking for something to help you move things along with your friend over there, I wouldn’t recommend the ciders. You could do with something stronger.”

Fell huffed his irritation, barely sparing the creature a glance. “Do I know you?” he asked, tone bored.

The monster gave a soft snicker, sliding onto the stool beside Fell. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you know me. All I’m saying is that I can help you.”

“Hard pass,” Fell said, still not looking at the monster. Where was Muffet with those drinks?

The monster clicked its tongue, seeming undeterred. “Look, pal, I’m doing you a favour here. I can tell when a guy is tryna get laid—and you’re clearly trying very hard.” Fell rolled his eye-lights, deliberately keeping his gaze off the other monster as he thrummed his fingers against the bar. “And your friend there—total tease, I would know.” This caught Fell’s attention. He glanced up, briefly registering that the monster was an Astigmatism (though a lot tamer looking than the ones he was used to), and grit his teeth into a firm scowl.

“What _exactly_ do you want?” Fell asked, his voice lowered into a growl. For a brief moment, the Astigmatism hesitated, clearly not anticipating such open aggression from another monster. But it quickly schooled its features, relaxing back into an easy smile, dripping with seedy charisma.

“I wanna help you,” it said, extracting a small bottle from its inventory. “See these? Top brand NTT shit—but with a little kick I added myself.”

Fell’s gaze flickered over the bottle, which contained dozens of small white pills. He glanced back at the Astigmatism, involuntary magic flickering in his left eye socket. “You’re telling me to drug someone?” An unexpected growl rumbled low in Fell’s chest. He’d already had enough of this idiot. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

The Astigmatism didn’t seem bothered by Fell’s clear disgust, continuing to grin as if it had just offered him the cure for monster-pox. “Trust me, you could use this when it comes to him,” it said, eyes flickering over Fell’s shoulder to Swap. Fell’s soul bubbled with fury, his clawed fingers creating indents as they tightening around the edge of the bar. “And you’ll like the effects. Napstaton is all about that mutual agreement crap, but I always think it’s more fun when they don’t suspect anything.” A wicked grin crossed the creature’s face, and a sick pit formed in Fell’s chest. “All I had to do was add a bit of a narcotic—he’ll be out for a couple of hours, so you’ll have plenty of time to—”

Fell stood abruptly, stool scraping noisily against the wooden floor. He turned to look at the Astigmatism, no longer bothering to hold back the crackle of his rage-fuelled magic. “I suggest you stay away from him,” he hissed, struggling to keep his voice level. A sudden hush had fallen over the patrons standing nearby, but Fell couldn’t bring himself to care. All the furious intent he could muster without triggering the violence of his LV was directed at the creature in front of him, who was suddenly looking a lot less smug than it had moments ago. “Stay away from both of us in fact. Or I may have to have a word with my friend, Captain Alphys, about your activities here.” In truth, Fell had never met Alphys, but he was sure he could get Blue to pull some strings for him.

“Hey, listen bud, I was just—”

“Or perhaps,” Fell said, his voice adopting a dangerous edge, “I’ll just _dust_ you.”

The word came out a little louder than intended, and suddenly it seemed all eyes were on him. The bar felt almost completely silent, but for a few shocked whispers and gasps, and Fell couldn’t stop the rage crackling through his bones in the form of hot magic. The Astigmatism shrunk away from him, and Fell wondered if it had finally gathered enough sense to ‘check’ him. He couldn’t move. His body felt rigid, his LV no longer bridled.

Then there was a gentle touch on his arm, and Fell flinched, turning sharply to see Swap standing behind him. “Hey,” Swap murmured, his gaze calm but insistent. “How about we get out of here, alright? We can grab something to eat at home… Fell?”

Fell realised he’d gone stiff, his eyes almost unseeing as he looked at Swap. Not trusting his ability to get out any words that weren’t threatening, he nodded curtly, allowing Swap to guide him through the crowd, who all seemed to have their gazes trained on Fell. But Swap pointedly ignored them, heading straight for the door, only releasing Fell’s arm when they were out in the snow.

Fell came to a stop, his hands clenched at his sides, eyes fixed on the dim white snow on the ground at his feet. Stars, he hadn’t realised how pent up he’d been. He could still feel his magic flowing through him, charged with furious energy. He thought he’d been getting better at controlling his LV—even with the anti-dusting laws, but now…

“Hey Fell, come on, let’s walk.”

Fell blinked, glancing up. He’d expected to find Swap frowning—or even looking angry—but instead, his expression was neutral… perhaps even pitying. Fell scowled. He didn’t want pity. Still, he followed Swap nonetheless, swallowing. “Swap, I’m s—”

“Hey, shut up. We’re walking. Not talking.”

Fell was surprised at the firmness of Swap’s voice, though he still managed to keep his tone light. But Fell remained quiet, and they walked wordlessly through the snow. It was only after they passed the busier area of the town, that Fell noticed they were walking in the wrong direction. “Wait… where are we going? Your house it the other way.”

“Hey, what did I say about talking, brat? Geez, do you need me to staple it to your skull, bonehead?” Fell snapped his mouth shut, too stunned to do anything but blink as Swap regarded him with a faint hint of amusement beneath the seriousness of his tone. He flinched slightly as Swap slung an arm over his shoulders, guiding him toward Snowdin Forest. “Now, we’re going to take a nice long walk, and keep our mouths shut, ‘kay?”

Fell was tempted to make a snarky remark about enjoying Swap’s company a lot more when his mouth was shut, but he figured that would earn him little beyond more chastising, so he remained silent. As they neared the dark shadows of the forest trees, Fell found his senses buzzing with anticipation. He couldn’t help but glance around instinctively, magic flowing readily through him.

He knew he was just being paranoid—getting attacked in a Tale universe would be like going a week without making at least one death threat in a Fell universe—but still, keeping rigidly alert brought him comfort. Thankfully, Swap either didn’t notice, or was tactful enough not to comment on it. His arm was still hanging over Fell’s shoulders, and Fell couldn’t deny that the feeling of it eased some of the tension within him. Still, he sort of wished Swap would stop; their proximity was giving rise to some feelings he would rather not admit to—and not all of them involved arousal.

As Fell’s eye-lights adjusted to the darkness of the forest, he found himself beginning to appreciate the more aesthetic side to Underswap. Unlike his own universe, the air here felt a lot cleaner, and the trees seemed greener, more full of life. Even the snow beneath his feet felt softer, and Fell slowly found himself relaxing as he breathed in the cool night air. He shivered slightly as a chilly breeze picked up, and was reminded of the absence of his scarf. He glanced up, eyes settling on the red cloth still wrapped around Swap’s neck, and suddenly, he couldn’t bring himself to care about the cold. He would never admit to it, but Fell found himself leaning slightly into Swap’s half-embrace, a wave of calm passing over his soul.

But all too soon it seemed, Swap withdrew from him, and pulled the coin back out of his pocket. He glanced at Fell with a small smile. “Wanna keep playing?” he asked, twiddling it between his fingers.

Fell raised his brow bone. “Does this mean you’re giving me permission to speak again, asshole?”

Swap gave a small huff of laughter, and shrugged. “Only if you promise to say intelligent things.”

“I have to say intelligent things. No one else present is capable.”

This time, Swap’s laughter was more genuine, and Fell couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto his features. He glanced away, trying to hide the pale blush that coloured his cheek bones. “Right, heads or tails?” Swap asked, flipping the coin into the air as they walked.”

“Heads,” Fell said, glancing up.

Swap grinned as he revealed the result. “Tails.”

“Ugh. That’s four in a row now! I’m convinced you’re still rigging this somehow.”

Swap shrugged, amusement playing on his features. “Well, technically you didn’t even complete the last dare, so consider this my compensation.” Fell turned away, grimacing at the memory. Swap seemed to sense his discomfort, because he quickly continued. “I dare you to… say something nice about me.”

Fell scoffed, taken aback. “You’re kidding right? These dares are supposed to be challenging—not impossible!”

“And it can’t have anything to do with the fact that I’m good in bed, or that I’m a Papyrus.”

Fell tutted, mumbling something derisive about Swap’s talents in bed, before sighing. “Right. Um…” he glanced over Swap, racking his mind for a suitable answer. “You have excellent taste in partners.”

Swap rolled his eye-lights. “Come on, Fell. I have plenty of redeeming qualities to pick from.”

Fell scowled at the ground as he walked, and found himself fidgeting with the pockets of his pants, suddenly feeling very put on the spot. “You’re…” Fell trailed off. There were several things on his mind—none of which he wanted to speak out loud or admit to. They all felt a little too much like confessions, and Fell decided he’d very much prefer to ignore them. “You’re not… boring,” he said at last.

Swap scoffed, glancing at him dubiously. “Not boring. Wow, thanks Fell. That honestly the best you can do?”

“Well, what do you want? An in-depth explanation? A bloody essay?” Fell rolled his eye-lights, though he couldn’t hide the flush rising to his cheek bones.

“Well, I have to admit, it’s not the most flattering thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Fell grit his teeth, sighing. “All—all I mean is, you’re… interesting to be around—you… you’re attractive and… and not just because you’re a Papyrus. I—I mean you’re… you’re amusing at times I guess, and I don’t feel uncomfortable around you, I… I feel like I can tell you things I wouldn’t tell other people. And you—you smell nice, you have a nice laugh, I like your smile, and—d-damn it, just flip the fucking coin again, Swap.” Fell broke off, realising too late that he’d said far more than he’d intended to. He didn’t dare look up at Swap, afraid of what the other skeleton’s expression might convey. His blush was heavy now, and he could feel his soul hammering against his ribcage, as if it were ready to break free.

A charged silence rang between them, and Fell felt as if he might lose his mind, until Swap quietly said, “Heads or tails?”

“Tails,” Fell murmured, not glancing away from his feet.

“Tails it is,” Swap said. “Well done, brat, you finally won one.”

“Hm.” Fell grunted wordlessly, not as excited by the victory as he might have been earlier. “I dare you to… give my scarf back.” The last dare had thrown him slightly off kilter, and part of him wanted to get revenge on Swap. (The other part, which he was refusing to acknowledge, was just struggling not to think unsavoury thoughts every time he saw the scarf on Swap).

“Can’t rescind previous dares, Fell,” Swap said, a hint of amusement in his tone. Fell found he was actually grateful that Swap had managed to keep the conversation light. He was still feeling the weight of his own words, and he wished to the stars he could take them back. Still, he felt irritated at Swap for blocking his dare on a technicality.

“Ugh, fine,” he grumbled, kicking at a lump of snow as they walked. “Then I dare you to tell me why you even wanted to wear it in the first place.”

Fell finally glanced up, and was surprised to find Swap blushing, the golden tint contrasting prettily against the pale background of the snowy forest. “I, um…” Swap delicately touched the material at his neck, not meeting Fell’s gaze, though there was a faint hint of a smile on his face. “I just wanted to know what it would feel like to… wear your clothes, I guess.”

Fell almost gaped, bewildered by Swap’s answer. The heat on his cheek bones almost quashed the chill of the night air entirely, and he felt unwelcome magic flooding into his mouth and through his bones. Swallowing heavily, he looked away, not trusting his impulses any longer while Swap had his hands threaded in Fell’s scarf like that. “And I wanted you to be cold—to piss you off,” Swap said quickly, though his voice seemed to quaver uncertainly. Fell merely nodded, unsure whether he’d be able to get any coherent words out at this point. “Well, uh, here we are,” Swap said, and Fell glanced up to see that they had arrived at a door, a familiar emblem across the purple wood.

He frowned, confused. “You brought us to… a door? Why? What’s on the other side?”

Swap shrugged, leaning against it before slumping down to sit in the snow. “No idea, but it’s pretty good for practicing knock-knock jokes, heh.”

Fell blinked for a moment, brow bone raised, then shook his head, sitting beside Swap. The cold snow seemed to seep into his bones, and he shivered slightly, wrapping his arms around himself. Swap glanced up, eyes wandering over Fell for a moment, before he said, “Hey, uh… you can have your scarf back, if you want. It’s just a stupid dare.”

Fell regarded Swap, his eyes trailing to the scarf, which Swap’s hand was still wrapped in. After barely a moment’s consideration, he shook his head, staring at the snow. “No. It’s fine, keep it.” Fell really hoped that Swap didn’t detect the unspoken implication that Fell actually _liked_ the way he looked wearing the scarf. He cleared his throat, fingers tracing idle patterns in the snow. “So, uh, we still playing?”

Swap, whose gaze had been fixed on Fell, almost as if in thought, quickly glanced away, nodding. Fell called heads as he flipped the coin, and Swap offered him a small smile as it landed. “Heads. Looks like you’re making a comeback.”

“Or maybe you’re giving me a few free wins to throw me off your trail,” Fell said, giving Swap a skeptical look. Swap only grinned, and Fell looked away with a frown. He noticed that it had started to snow, small flakes landing on his skull and arms, chilling his bones. Eventually, he said, “Do you and your brother ever… fight?” He couldn’t deny that Swap’s question from earlier about his own brother was still battling inside his mind. He knew he and Red didn’t have a perfect relationship, but he liked to think that (at least to some extent) they were still functional. It had become increasingly difficult to justify the way he and his brother treated each other when they’d stumbled across the Tale universes, their counterparts seeming to have such perfect, happy lives.

Swap was quiet for a moment, his skull tilted back against the door, gaze wandering over the gentle flakes falling from the cavern’s ceiling. “Sometimes, I suppose. Over silly things.”

Fell’s soul clenched. Much as he’d expected. He and Red fought—a lot. And it wasn’t always over trivial matters like socks on the living room floor. Sometimes it was about serious things—life or death matters, or fundamental issues of morality. He suddenly noticed he’d gone stiff, his gloved hands clenched around fistfuls of snow. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath of cold air.

“But Blue and I… we’re not the same as you and Red,” Swap said quietly, and Fell glanced up, frowning.

“What do you mean? We’re basically the same people.”

Swap gave a humourless chuckle, shaking his head. “No, we’re really not. There’s no denying you and Red have it a lot tougher than we do. I mean, the fact that we even find things to fight about in this… _‘perfect’_ world kind of says something about us, doesn’t it?”

Fell’s brow bone furrowed, and he found himself staring at the ground again. “But that’s just… sibling stuff. You can’t blame yourself for getting on each other’s nerves.” Swap looked up at Fell with a smirk, brow bone raised. Fell scowled, giving a dismissive wave of his hand. “Ugh. Whatever. At least you aren’t—literally—at each other’s throats. Red and I—”

“Live in Underfell,” Swap interjected. “You can’t hold yourself to the same standards as a bunch a’ Tale verse softies. I can’t imagine we’d have turned out the same if we’d grown up there.” Swap was silent for a moment, sighing deeply as his hands fiddled in his pockets. Fell could hear the click of his lighter, and suddenly, a small part of him felt a little guilty for banning his vice for the evening. “You know,” Swap said at last, “I used to use your treatment of your brother as an excuse to hate you. I blamed you for how broken Red seemed.”

Fell swallowed, staring straight ahead into the falling snow as a guilty pit formed in his soul. “But… that’s not true,” Swap continued. “Red isn’t as beaten down as he might seem, and I think… I think that’s because you. You—you keep him sane, for the most part. There’s no denying you do have a tendency to drive certain people a little crazy.” Swap shot Fell an accusatory look, the faint glimmer of a smile visible on his features.

Fell huffed, looking away, arms folded across his chest. “I thought you didn’t like serious conversations.”

“Huh. Yeah, you’re right, this is getting too deep—let’s flip the coin again.”

Fell nodded, though his mind was only half-present, still trying to shake off thoughts of his brother. He hated giving more than just his passing attention to such topics, especially ones involving Red. It made him feel guilty. Ashamed, even. For so long, he’d justified his harsh treatment of his brother by telling himself it was for Red’s own good—to help him survive. But sometimes he wondered if maybe he took things too far—if maybe what Red actually needed was to come home to a brother who loved him and took care of him without being so callous. And considering how much time he spent with Blue—along with the other Tale verse monsters—Fell couldn’t help but wonder if Red had abandoned him completely in favour of people who treated him the way he deserved to be treated.

Fell flinched at the touch of cool fingers on his arm, looking up to find Swap gazing at him with sympathy swimming in his eye-lights. The typical amusement was absent from his features, and Fell found himself swallowing down more guilt at the prospect of being responsible for that. “Hey, I’m sorry I brought up your brother,” Swap said, quietly, fingers stroking subconsciously over Fell’s arm. “I know it’s a touchy subject for you. I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s fine,” Fell said, stiffly. His whole body felt tense, despite the gentle ministrations of Swap’s hand on his arm. “I—I shouldn’t ignore it. The way I treat him. I know I’ve failed him. In so many ways—I…”

Swap was shaking his head, sadness in his eyes. “That’s not true, Fell, and you know it. I don’t think Red would have made it this long without you—you both need each other. And…” Swap took a deep breath. “No one’s perfect. I know that… that LV can be hard to keep in check.”

A bitter taste filled Fell’s mouth, and he glared at the ground, raking his fingers through the cold snow. “I don’t want to talk about what happened tonight,” he said, thickly.

Swap’s touch on his arm tightened briefly, and Fell had to grit his teeth to stop his mouth from filling with warm magic. “You don’t have to.”

Silence fell between them for a few minutes, and Swap’s hand didn’t leave Fell’s arm. In fact, he slowly began to slump against the door, a clear sign of sleepiness settling in. Fell had to stop himself from flinching when he felt Swap shuffling closer, his head dropping to rest on Fell’s shoulder. For a few jarring moments, Fell’s body went rigid, his breath seeming stuck in his chest. But then, as the soft rise and fall of Swap’s chest slowly deepened, he couldn’t help but feel… safe. At ease. His mind drifted away from his brother, and the other troubling thoughts that had been plaguing him recently, instead settling on nothing but the feeling of Swap against him. The warmth of his bones contrasting to the biting chill of the snow; the faint sweet smell of him; the heady feeling that accompanied his proximity.

Just when Fell thought he’d fallen asleep, Swap murmured softly, “Heads or tails?”

“Tails,” Fell said quietly, letting his eye sockets drift closed.

He barely registered the sound of the coin flipping into the air, until Swap whispered, “It’s heads.” Fell hummed his acknowledgement, but in truth, his consciousness was slowly fading. At least, it was, until Swap said, “Have you ever been in love?”

Fell was snapped back into awareness, immediately tensing. Swap’s gentle caressing of his arm halted, and Fell could feel his eyes on him. He swallowed, trying to alleviate some of the tension by running his hands through the snow. “N-no. I haven’t.” It seemed a simple answer, but a voice in the back of Fell’s mind was telling him it wasn’t the truth. Desperate to shift the conversation away from himself, he asked, “Have you?”

Swap hummed softly, resting his head on Fell’s shoulder once again. “Just once,” he murmured. Fell’s mind was spinning, trying to make sense of the situation. Several conflicting emotions were churning in his soul, making him feel slightly dizzy. His bones were uncomfortably hot, and he felt unsettled and fidgety.

Unable to handle it any longer, he turned, pushing Swap away slightly. “Why—why are you asking me all these questions?” he asked, letting some of his frustration seep into his tone. Swap blinked at him for a moment, appearing taken aback. “Why did you want to play this stupid game anyway?” Fell could hear how unreasonable he sounded, but he felt so off-balance, his tone of voice was the least of his worries. Somehow, in this past hour or so, Swap had managed to get into his head, prying his most intimate and personal thoughts out of him. And he couldn’t decide whether it made him angry, relieved, betrayed—or all those things at once.

Swap was looking uncertain, his brow bone creased slightly. “I…” He glanced down at his hand, which was still resting on Fell’s arm. With what appeared to be slight reluctance, he drew away, swallowing as he fixed his gaze on the ground instead of Fell’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—I just…” Swap trailed off, going silent. He looked conflicted, as if he wasn’t sure whether to continue, or let his unspoken words hang in the air, which suddenly felt rife with tension.

Fell found himself missing the soft touch of Swap’s fingers on his arm, and involuntarily, he reached out, fingers brushing the edge of Swap’s jaw. The bone felt warm in comparison to the snow on Fell’s fingertips, and he allowed his fingers to trail over Swap’s face for a moment. Swap glanced at him, something burning within the deep gold of his eyes as his gaze landed on Fell’s face. Fell suddenly realised how close they were, their faces inches from each other. He could feel Swap’s gentle breaths, and noted the way his eyes dropped to his mouth for a second.

It was as if something had sparked within him. No longer able to control the urge, Fell leaned forward, cupping Swap’s face and kissing him softly.

It was nothing like any of the previous kisses they’d shared. It was gentle at first, almost hesitant, nothing but the careful press of teeth. But as soon as Swap opened his mouth, granting Fell access, he found his mind abandoning all rational thought. He deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into Swap’s mouth, eager to taste every inch of him. He soon met Swap’s own magic, the sweetness of it filling his mouth. He hummed against Swap, pressing his body forward, so that their chests were flush against each other, the warm glow of Swap’s soul almost tangible through their clothing.

But there was something deeper to the kiss. Something beyond the physicality of it. Normally when they kissed, it was nothing more than a pretence to sex. Just a means to an end. A necessary step to the ultimate end goal. But this time, sex was the last thing on Fell’s mind. All he wanted was to feel Swap; to achieve that closeness—that warmth that seemed to alleviate every tension in his body, to put his mind completely at ease. Every other thought seemed wiped from his mind. The cold snowflakes landing on his bones, the gentle breeze rustling through the trees—they were simply background noise, secondary to the incredible feeling of Swap’s magic, humming against his. It wasn’t enough—but at the same time, it was all too much.

Fell wasn’t sure whether to feel grateful or disappointed when Swap slowly pulled away, breaking the kiss. His eyes didn’t leave Fell’s face for a moment, and his cheek bones were flushed a deep gold. His gaze darted to the ground, a small smile twisting at the corner of his mouth. “Rule number twelve – no sex in public.”

Fell nodded, though he found it difficult to return Swap’s smile. “Right.” They sat in silence for a moment, neither seeming able to find any words to break the tension. Fell dug his fingers into the soft snow, his soul seeming to thump erratically in his chest, as if Swap was still pressed against him. He could still taste the remnants of Swap’s magic in his mouth, and he swallowed in an attempt to extinguish it.

This time, Fell didn’t flinch or tense when Swap leaned his head against him. On the contrary, his soul flipped in his chest, and his entire body seemed to sag with contentment, his own breaths deepening along with Swap’s as he relaxed. Even as his eyes drifted closed, drowsiness seeming to overcome the more logical part of his mind which was screaming that this was taking things too far; that he was breaking some sort of rule; that he was giving in to his weaknesses.

Fell didn’t care. “Swap?” he murmured, the swirling wind almost drowning out his voice. Swap hummed quietly against his shoulder, already half asleep. “Th-thank you,” Fell whispered, pressing his teeth to the top of Swap’s skull. Swap buried his head deeper into the crook of Fell’s neck, and Fell’s soul swelled with warmth. For the first time in so long, he didn’t feel alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: date-rape mention, "attempted" date-rape (attempted in inverted commas because it was very quickly snuffed out), mention of drugging, mention of non-con (mild), mention of abusive relationships (mild)  
> !!Mild spoilers below!!
> 
> \----------------------------------------------
> 
>  
> 
> I would like to throwback to my very first intro note of this fic: "This is just smut." and "It is. literally. just. porn."  
> Like I said, I'm terrible at sticking to plans and I had to write some fluff!
> 
> My tumblr is [@alicedragons](https://alicedragons.tumblr.com/) if anyone wants to come and say hi! (NSFW, so please don't follow if you're under 18!)


	6. Fuck the universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The universe is a strange place - and sometimes it's best to ignore what it has in store for you, and take matters into your own hands. Sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for this chapter. Both the word count (about 7.3k, crap)--and.... the other stuff. Which you will soon discover.
> 
> Very important warnings for this chapter, which are in the end notes. If anyone finds particular themes disturbing, I highly recommend reading them. (The themes are similar to those in the last chapter, just a bit more intense). I swear this is fluffy. But.... y'know. Angst.

Fell was just about to succumb to sleep, his eyes drifting closed, when an invasive buzzing sounded, his pocket vibrating. He groaned, shifting in the snow to reach for his phone.

Beside him, Swap stirred, groggily glancing up through hazy eye-lights. “Ah, that’ll be our bros. Probably should’ve told ‘em where we were going. Heh.”

Fell scowled, dusting the snow off his pants as he rose, lifting the phone to his skull. “Red?”

“Boss? Where the fuck are ya? Blue ‘n I just got to Muffet’s—she says ya threatened some guy then stormed out!”

A twinge of guilt resonated through Fell. Naturally, Red would be worried – Fell could hear the panic in his tone. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, gathering his composure. “Calm down, Red. I’m alright. I’m with the Ashtray, we were just…” Fell trailed off, suddenly realising that there was no reasonable explanation for what he and Swap were doing—none that he wanted to give, at least.

Fortunately, it seemed that Red wasn’t too bothered by the exact nature of their activities, a sigh of relief sounding from the other end of the phone. “Geez, Boss, ya scared me. I thought ya might’ve lost it and…” The unspoken suggestion of Fell’s tendency to lash out hung in the air, and Fell was bitterly reminded of his close call earlier this evening. Thankfully, Red didn’t press the issue, and part of Fell wondered if he was anxious that he would trigger one of Fell’s violent episodes by saying the wrong thing. “So, uh, you gonna meet us here?”

Fell glanced down at Swap, who was still leaning against the door, dozing lightly. He sighed. “No, I think I should take the Ashtray home.”

For a moment, Red was silent, and Fell feared he’d accidentally revealed something through his tone of voice. Then a soft chuckle emitted from the phone. “Heh, since when do ya care about Swap, Boss?”

Fell stilled, a frown creeping across his features. “I don’t,” he said, voice tight. “But I’m not one to leave a monster stranded in the middle of Snowdin Forest.”

Red scoffed. “Snowdin Forest? Watcha doin’ all the way out there?”

Fell muttered a curse under his breath, realising the hole he’d dug himself into. He scowled down at Swap, who still had his eyes closed. “We were… walking. I needed to cool down after my—” Fell coughed “—outburst.”

It was technically true, minus a few small details. Thankfully, Red just gave another throaty laugh. “Heh, guess there’s no better place ta’ _cool down_ than Snowdin Forest, eh, Boss?”

Fell’s grip on the phone tightened, and he glared at nothing in particular, internally cursing himself for handing that one to Red on a silver platter. “Is there a reason you’re still speaking to me, brother?”

“Sorry, Boss, I _snow_ yer too _cool_ fer jokes like that, but they just send chills down my spine.”

“Sans!”

“Alright, get the Ashtray home,” Red said quickly, though there was still a trace of humour in his tone. “Blue ‘n I’ll probably hang here for a bit. See ya later.”

“Take care of yourself, brother,” Fell said with a sigh, before hanging up. He glanced down at Swap with disdain, obstinately denying the fact that his soul warmed a little upon seeing the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Still, he cleared his throat, bending down to shake his shoulders. “Ashtray, come on, you lazybones. You can sleep at home.”

Swap groaned slightly, shifting under Fell’s grip. “Sure you can’t give me another five minutes, brat?”

Fell rolled his eye-lights, shaking his head. “I don’t even have the patience for another five seconds. Get up.”

With a little more coaxing, and a few more begrudging grumbles from Swap, Fell managed to pull the lazier skeleton to his feet. His soul stuttered as Swap draped an arm over his shoulder, grinning up at him with false innocence. “Carry me?”

Fell blinked for a moment, staring. He could feel his cheeks heating, and he bit down, trying to control the magic readily flowing through his bones. Pushing Swap away, he muttered, “Ugh no, asshole. You’re walking.”

Swap pouted, but the mischievous twinkle didn’t leave his eye-lights. Without warning, he gripped Fell’s arm, whispering, “Hold on tight, brat,” before the world was spinning around them. Fell stumbled as they landed directly on the front porch of the Underswap brothers’ home, taken off guard by the sudden short-cut. He immediately spun to face Swap, fury burning in his eye-lights.

“What the f—don’t _do_ that without warning me!”

Swap shrugged, brow bone raised as he opened the front door. “I did warn you. I said ‘hold on tight’.”

Fell involuntarily clenched his fists, before taking a deep, shaky breath to control himself. “You’re—” He swallowed, reminding himself of what had happened when he’d allowed his anger to get the better of him earlier that night. “You’re intolerable,” he hissed.

Swap only grinned, the ever-present humour glinting in his eye-lights. “Yet, you tolerate me.” Fell scowled, staring at the wooden planks as he kicked his boots against them to get the snow off. For a few moments, a charged silence hung between the two skeletons, an unspoken question seeming to hang in the air. Eventually, Swap cleared his throat, gaze darting away from Fell briefly. “So, do you, uh, want to come inside?” Swap shoved his hands in his pockets, and Fell heard the quiet clicking of his lighter. He frowned, trying to assure himself that Swap wasn’t at risk of setting himself on fire.

“I, uh…” Fell shifted awkwardly between his feet. On one hand, he _very much_ wanted to come inside. Though he was still (ineffectually) trying to deny it, he felt reluctant to part ways with Swap… for whatever reason. On the other hand, part of him felt that maybe parting ways with Swap would solve this tumultuous battle going on with his emotions. He certainly wasn’t ready to confront them.

Fell only realised he’d hesitated too long when Swap gave a quiet laugh, drawing his gaze back up. “Well, you seem a little conflicted.” Fell was tempted to remark that ‘conflicted’ didn’t even begin to scratch the surface. But his eyes were drawn to Swap’s pocket, where he withdrew the small coin he’d been flipping earlier. “How about we let the universe decide?”

Fell almost laughed. “Seriously? The _universe?”_ His brow bone was raised in incredulity. “The universe has never been particularly kind to me—and neither has that bloody coin.”

“Heh, hasn’t been so bad…” Swap’s hand was twisting in Fell’s scarf, his gaze seeming to dart everywhere but Fell’s face.

Fell could feel his magic buzzing readily through him, and eventually, he cleared his throat, unable to withstand the tension any longer. “Fine, just flip it.”

Swap finally glanced up, giving Fell a small smile. “Heads you stay, tails you go?” Fell nodded, swallowing as Swap flicked the coin into the air. “Heads,” Swap said, quietly, glancing at Fell, cautiously, as if trying to gauge his reaction.

Fell nodded stiffly, trying not to show how relieved he felt. “Fine. Guess I’m staying,” he said, trying his best to sound reluctant as he entered the living room.

Swap chuckled softly as he shut the door. “Please control yourself, Fell. There’s no need to get so excited.”

Fell simply scoffed, rolling his eye-lights as he glanced around the room with narrowed eye sockets. Dirty dishes and clothes were scattered over the furniture, the carpet littered with old books and missing puzzle pieces. “Ugh. Would it really kill you to keep this place clean? Why I even come here is beyond me.”

“Hey, Blue loves cleaning when he’s drunk. I’m doing him a favour by messing it up. He’ll thank me for it later.” Swap grinned, earning him another eye-roll. Fell’s gaze drifted to the bookshelf beside the TV, soul jolting as his eyes landed on a familiar title.

Striding over, he carefully extracted the thin book from the shelf. He tried not to smile, but found it difficult as fondness crept into his soul. “Peek-a-boo with Fluffy Bunny,” he murmured, quietly. Much like his own copy, the book was worn from use, a few of the pages bent.

“Uh yeah, Blue reads it to me sometimes,” Swap mumbled. Fell glanced up to see that he was blushing slightly, gaze on the carpet.

Fell’s soul stung a little. “Red used to read it to me too,” he said, putting it back. He could still remember the day he’d told Red he was too old for bedtime stories. The look on his brother’s face still hurt to think about.

“Oh,” was all Swap said, still not looking up. For a few seconds, it was silent between them, and Fell suffered a brief twinge of guilt for dampening the mood. Fortunately, Swap’s weariness didn’t seem to last, because with a decisive cough, he asked, “So, do you, uh, want something to eat?”

Fell quickly nodded, eager for a change of subject. “Certainly. As long as you let me cook. It’s the least I can do after…” Fell gave a vague wave of his hand. “Preventing us from eating earlier.” He left the fact that he wasn’t eager to eat whatever Swap would be able to cook unspoken, though he was sure the implication wasn’t completely lost on the other skeleton.

“Heh, we’ll have to see,” Swap said, as if he’d read Fell’s thoughts. He flicked the coin between his fingers, and Fell frowned dubiously at it, as if it had wronged him somehow (he still wasn’t entirely convinced it hadn’t).

“Ashtray. We are not leaving my—or your, for that matter—life in the hands of that piece of Gold. If I’m going to die, it’s not going to be because of food poisoning.”

Swap only smirked, doing little to quell the rising sense of unease in Fell’s chest. “Come on,” he said, gesturing for Fell to follow him into the kitchen. “Let’s see what we have.”

With no small amount of reluctance, Fell trailed after him, deciding that—if worst came to worst—he could just refuse to eat Swap’s cooking. As much as that might hurt his feelings— _which,_ Fell reminded himself, _he certainly didn’t care about_ —he wasn’t quite ready to die. At least, not like this. He was grateful to see that the kitchen at least, had been spared much of the disorganisation the living room suffered. Though there were a couple of uncleaned dishes in the sink. Swap wandered over to the pantry, scouring it, as Fell took a seat at the table. “Huh, well…” Swap glanced around the cupboard, “it seems we don’t really have the ingredients for much other than spaghetti.”

A small amount of relief washed over Fell. He could work with that. “I can make spaghetti,” he said. “It’ll do.”

Swap glanced over his shoulder, a wily grin plastered on his face. “I can too.”

Fell scowled, crossing his arms with a huff. “Swap, I’m serious—I will not eat your cooking. If you’re anything like my brother—or like Papyrus—we will both die. You’re literally a combination of the two worst cooks in our universes.”

“I’m flattered that you think I’m anywhere near as great as Papyrus,” Swap replied, turning back to gather up the ingredients. “But I promise you, if I win the toss, I’m not backing down. You’re eating my food.”

Fell was genuinely starting to panic. He thrummed his fingers on the table in an attempt to distract himself. “Swap, I really don’t—”

With a sigh, Swap turned, dumping the ingredients on the table. “Alright, fine, fine, I won’t _force_ you to eat it,” he conceded, sounding slightly downtrodden. “But… y’know—at least give it a try.”

Fell remained stiff, but sighed with a reluctant nod. Of course, he had no intention of following up on his half-promise. It wasn’t just his Underfell survival instincts kicking in. “Fine. Flip the damn coin.”

Swap grinned, seeming pleased, excitement sparkling in his eyes. “Heads you cook, tails I cook?” Fell grumbled his agreement, scowling at the coin. Gods he hated that coin. His soul stuttered slightly as it landed, and he waited for Swap to reveal the result, a nauseous pit forming in his soul. “Tails,” Swap said, shooting him a grin.

Fell’s eye sockets went wide, and he rose from his seat abruptly, pushing away from the table. _“No,”_ he hissed, voice strained. “Flip it again. And this time, I’m not calling until it’s in the damn air.”

Swap cocked his head, amusement crossing his features. “What? You don’t trust me.”

“Not. In the slightest.” Fell was almost surprised at himself, his voice lowered to a growl. Swap simply shrugged, flipping the coin again. “Tails,” Fell half-snapped, when he was certain the coin was high enough for it to be impossible for Swap to rig the toss.

Fell’s soul dipped at the smile that crossed Swap’s face as the coin landed for the second time. “Heads.”

Fell very nearly kicked his chair over. “No fucking way. I will not stand for this!” He knew he was being childish, but Fell was about as eager to test Swap’s cooking as he was to sleep naked in Snowdin Forest. Maybe even less eager. At this point, he’d take the latter if given the option.

Swap appeared to be trying very hard to stifle his laughter, and even Fell’s irritation couldn’t dull the warm feeling that bloomed in his soul at the sight. “Come on, Fell. It’s not as bad as you think. I promise not to poison you.”

“Not intentionally!”

Swap sighed, shaking his head as he surrendered to the giggles that escaped him. Taking a few (somewhat cautious) steps towards Fell, he held up his hands, as if in surrender. “Okay, since you’re clearly so against this, I will allow you to _assist_ me. No backseat cooking.”

“That’s not even a thing!” Fell snapped, though he couldn’t deny Swap’s offer brought him a small amount of solace. “But—fine. I will facilitate the construction of this meal—and _ensure_ that it does not kill both of us.”

Fell flinched as Swap placed a hand on his arm, offering him a suspiciously affable smile. “I thank you graciously for your service, Lieutenant.” With a little grumbling, Fell allowed himself to be guided toward the stove. Swap reached for one of the pots in the sink, which was still filled with grungy water. Rinsing it, he placed it on the stove, much to Fell’s disgust.

“No,” he said firmly, grasping Swap’s wrist as he reached to turn on the stove. Swap raised his brow bone, dubiously. “Wash. It,” Fell bit out, earning him a roll of Swap’s eye-lights.

“Who cares? I made spaghetti in it last time. It was only like… a day ago.”

Fell had to take a moment to stop himself from physically gagging. _“No,”_ he growled, with a little more fervour. “We are not eating out of that.”

Swap sighed, stepping back with his hands raised. “Fine. You do it then. I’ll start chopping the vegetables.”

Fell gave a relieved sigh, pouring a significant amount of dishwashing liquid into the pot before scrubbing it with vehemence. He was trying not to think about how long it had been since the pot had been properly washed. He glanced over his shoulder to see Swap laying out a chopping board, before placing a couple of carrots on it. With an irritated growl, he finished rinsing the pot, before drying his hands and turning to Swap. “What are you doing?” he asked, exasperated.

Swap regarded him with a puzzled expression, brow bone arched. “Uh… chopping the vegetables? What does it look like I’m doing, idiot?”

Fell shook his head, grinding his teeth together. “Peel them first.”

Swap laughed, before seeing the expression on Fell’s face. “Wait—you’re serious?”

“Of course I am! Where is your peeler?”

Swap shrugged, glancing around. “One of the drawers, probably. Along with the rest of the useless stuff. Come on, Fell, this is a waste of time.”

Fell shook his head, scavenging the drawers until he found the small tool. “The food I eat must be of adequate quality—unpeeled vegetables do not make for an adequate meal.” He nudged Swap away from the chopping board, and began peeling the carrots. “Just—boil some water in the kettle.”

Swap scowled, appearing less than pleased at being side-lined in his own cooking. “Hm. Fine. Just remember who won the toss, asshole.”

“Just trying to keep you alive,” Fell muttered as he peeled. They worked in silence for the next few minutes, Fell giving Swap a few menial tasks to do while he chopped the vegetables. Eventually however, after a little nagging on Swap’s part, he conceded to let his counterpart return to the vegetables (but not without close supervision). Fell poured a small sprinkling of olive oil into a pan, before setting the sauce to simmer with a few cloves of garlic. He leaned against the counter for a moment, taking a deep breath. Okay, he seemed to have a handle on this.

He frowned as he suddenly noticed Swap sprinkling something pale and blue over the chopped vegetables. “What— _what are you doing?”_ he exclaimed with a gasp, rushing over to pull Swap away.

Swap yanked out of Fell’s grip, looking irritated. “Adding flavour, you asshole. Let me make my own damn meal.”

Fell gaped at the small blue shreds of… he couldn’t quite figure out what they were. “What is this?” he asked, examining the tub containing the odd ingredient.

“Uh… Echo Flower petals,” Swap said, shrugging. “Blue and I wanted to experiment.”

Fell blinked. He’d seen the Echo Flowers around Underswap and Undertale a few times. The whispering had unsettled him at first, but over time he’d become used to it. But, not once had he considered _eating them._ “H-how do they taste?” he asked, giving the small pieces of flower a distrustful look.

“Well, if they tasted bad I wouldn’t be adding them, would I, brat?”

Fell grumbled, placing the tub back on the counter. The more sensible (Underfell) part of his mind was screaming at him that it was a terrible idea to trust this addition. Yes, he was (almost one hundred percent) certain that Swap wouldn’t attempt to poison him, but even so… he couldn’t shake his instinctual feeling of doubt. But, as he glanced up to see the look on Swap’s face—a strange mixture of irritation and hurt—he couldn’t help but give in to the guilty lump in his chest. “Add it once the vegetables are simmering,” he said, quietly. “The flavour will blend in better that way.”

The way Swap’s face lit up was almost instantaneous, and Fell’s soul clenched a little. He forced himself to turn away, busying himself with adding the boiling water to the pot as he turned the stove on. The remainder of the cooking procedure ran with surprising smoothness, and Fell allowed himself (albeit hesitantly) to take a back foot in the process, only giving pointers where necessary. He was a little taken aback to realise that Swap actually seemed to know what he was doing—for the most part. Fell was still reeling over the fact that he’d almost cooked the pasta in an unwashed pot. “Since when do you cook?” he asked, as Swap added the finishing touches to the sauce and vegetables. Fell had resigned himself to taking a seat, certain that—should the kitchen set alight—he should be able to get up on time to escape.

To his surprise, Swap looked embarrassed, glancing away to focus on the pan, but failing to hide the pale blush on his cheek bones. “Uh… Blue’s been teaching me,” he mumbled, adding a sprinkle of salt to the pan.

Fell raised his brow bone. “Since when?” He hadn’t realised Swap cared. He knew that his own brother would be anything but eager to take cooking lessons from him; Fell had long ago accepted that all responsibilities involving household chores would fall to him.

“’Bout a month ago,” Swap said, shrugging. Fell was about to ask why, when Swap turned, hastily adding, “Food’s ready.”

Fell held his gaze for a moment, sensing there was something more to Swap’s eagerness to change topic, but he decided to let it go, helping set the table. When they sat down to eat, Fell waited a few moments for Swap to take the first bite. It was less because of his mistrust of Swap’s cooking, and more because of the naturally ingrained survival instinct, ever-present in his mind. After deciding that he didn’t have anything to worry about, Fell hesitantly took a small bite, pausing for a moment to allow the flavour to sink in. He swallowed, glancing up to find Swap watching him intently. “H-how is it?” he asked, sounding apprehensive.

Fell gave a slow nod of his head as he chewed his second mouthful. “It’s… good.” He cleared his throat, before taking a third bite. “Very good. Colour me impressed, Ashtray.”

Fell didn’t miss the small smile that Swap tried to hide by glancing away and shovelling another forkful into his mouth. It coaxed a smile out of Fell himself, who had similar success in hiding it. The conversation between them was absent for a few minutes, though Fell found he didn’t mind. It was comfortable, and he was too enraptured by the interesting flavour the Echo Flower added to the meal. After a time however, Swap quietly said, “So… how are you feeling?”

Fell’s gaze snapped up, and he narrowed his eye sockets. Swap had stopped eating in favour of surveying Fell scrupulously, as if waiting for him to snap. Fell hated that look. He saw it enough on his brother—especially recently. “I’m fine,” he said, stiffly. “And I told you before—I don’t want to discuss my… behaviour from earlier.”

“And I’m not asking you to,” Swap said, a considerable amount of collectedness injected into his tone. “I’m just asking if you’re doing okay.”

Fell grumbled his disapproval of Swap’s inquisitiveness, staring at his plate, appetite suddenly gone. “I’m…” Under the table, Fell clenched his fist where it was rested on his femur, swallowing. “I’ll be okay,” he said, hearing the strain in his own voice. “It takes time, usually, for my magic to calm down.” While Fell was finding it more and more difficult to deny the effect Swap had on his magic, part of his agitation could irrefutably be boiled down to his LV. It was becoming increasingly taxing to go without using his magic without snapping every now and then—the incident at Muffet’s had hardly done him any favours when it came to keeping it reigned in.

“I know,” Swap said, quietly. “And—I also know that… saying that LV is just a number is making something complex way too simple, but…” Swap paused, sighing. “Well, when it comes to you, it basically is—just a number, that is. You… You’re a good person, Fell. At least—you try to be. And that’s what’s important. That’s what I l—” Swap quickly broke off, clearing his throat. “Is there—can—can I help in any way?” he stuttered, seeming hesitant to breach the question. “I mean—only if you want me to; I don’t want to overstep—”

Fell shook his head, smiling. “You have been helping me, actually. Our… arrangement has given me a bit of an outlet, to put it bluntly.” A small part of Fell couldn’t help but wonder if his sanity had been hinging on Swap this entire time.

Swap looked taken aback, blinking for a moment. “O-oh.” His cheek bones had taken on a pale orange tint, and he glanced away, nodding. “Okay.” Seeming unsure of himself, he rose from his seat, quickly gathering up his and Fell’s plates, dropping them into the sink along with the other dishes from dinner. He turned back to Fell, who noted that his face was now a deeper shade of golden-orange than he could ever recall seeing it. “Well, um, considering… what happened earlier… do you maybe want to…” Swap was looking very flustered all of a sudden, and Fell frowned, finding it strangely uncanny of the normally laid-back monster. Swap’s gaze flicked to the kitchen door, before he quietly muttered, “We could, um, go upstairs and…”

Swap’s meaning finally registered with Fell, and his soul flipped. “Oh,” was all he seemed capable of saying. “Well, I—”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to,” Swap added, quickly. “I mean, it’s no different from all the other times—I just… never realised I was actually helping you… heh.” Swap was still looking apprehensive, his hands shoved in his pockets, and his eyes seeming to focus anywhere but Fell’s face.

But Fell couldn’t help the traitorous thought that told him that—no, this _was_ different from all the other times. It felt different, in any case. So different. And he couldn’t understand it. Normally, things were so easy with Swap. They met up, teased each other a bit, then fucked. And… that was it. But now… this offer seemed to carry a significantly deeper meaning. It felt like… a step forward, an admission to something with greater consequences, more weight.

Fell found himself struggling to answer. His words seemed caught, his ribcage constricting around his soul. “Swap, I—I don’t want you to feel like you have to—”

But Swap was already shaking his head, a small smile on his face. “I know I don’t. But I… I want to.”

Fell nodded stiffly, mumbling, “Right,” before delving back into his battling thoughts. He knew how this must look. Swap probably thought his hesitance was reluctance—but in truth, it was anything _but_ that. More than anything, Fell wanted to go upstairs with Swap. To further… whatever this was. Whatever it might lead to. He couldn’t seem to control his racing soul, or the churning magic that couldn’t seem to decide how to direct itself.

“Hey, Fell, we don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to.”

“I _do_ want to,” Fell said hurriedly, before quickly snapping his mouth shut. “I—I mean, I don’t know. I don’t…”

As Fell trailed off, staring at the table, Swap walked over to him slowly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You know, this is probably a terrible idea, but…” Fell glanced up in time to see Swap extracting the coin from his pocket. “Flip on it?”

Fell couldn’t stop the surprised laugh that escaped him. “You want to leave this decision to the universe?” He stood, shaking his head, still laughing shakily. “Fine, what the hell.”

Swap smirked, though there was an element of anxious energy behind the look, his eye-lights flickering dimly. “Heads you stay… tails you go?” Fell nodded stiffly, hands twisting together as he watched Swap flip the coin into the air. The seconds seemed to tick by agonisingly as Swap turned his hand to reveal the outcome. Fell’s soul gave a stutter of disappointment. “Tails…” Swap’s voice was barely a whisper, and Fell ached at the look on his face, certain it mirrored his own.

They stood in silence for a few moments, and while Fell couldn’t be certain, he was sure Swap’s thoughts were similar to his own. His doppelgänger’s hands shook slightly as they held the coin, and Fell swallowed, his magic almost _burning_ through his bones.

This shouldn’t be so complicated. It should be _easy._ Simple. Straightforward. The way Fell liked things to be. He liked having structure. A set of rules to follow. And right now, the rules were telling him to walk away. To listen to the universe—to _leave._

But everything about staying felt so right. So confusing, and complicated, and messy—the way Fell hated things to be. But… it felt good. His soul seemed to light up in his chest at the prospect. The thought of being with Swap just a moment longer sent a blaze of excitement through him that felt too strong to ignore.

It was all too much. And Fell couldn’t bear the anticipation a moment longer. Unable to withstand the overwhelming urge for another second, Fell gripped onto Swap’s shoulders, pulling him close. “Fuck the universe,” he growled, before pressing their mouths together in a deep kiss. It felt every bit as right as he could have hoped.

 

****

 

“Hey.” Fell glanced up in time to catch the coin as Swap flicked it to him. “I have a new rule.”

Fell glanced at the small piece of metal for a moment, turning it over in his hand before looking up at Swap. “Do you now?”

“Yup. Rule number thirteen—no more leaving it to the universe to decide what we do. That stupid coin is going to cause us more grief than it’s worth. Fuck the universe.”

Fell chuckled quietly, nodding as he shoved the coin in his pocket. “Wholeheartedly—fuck the universe.” He shifted under the bed’s covers, so that his chest was pressed to Swap’s back, silently relishing in the way they seemed to fit together so perfectly – although perhaps it was the bliss of his post-orgasmic haze. “Honestly, nothing says ‘fuck you’ to the universe like—well, fucking.”

The soft vibrations of Swap’s laughter resonated through Fell’s chest, which practically glowed as Swap shifted to press himself closer. “I believe you just made a pun, Fell.”

Fell scowled against the back of Swap’s neck. “I most certainly did not. And if you bring it up again, you can be sure this will be the last time we ever have sex.”

Fell knew it was an empty threat if ever he’d made one, but Swap played along nonetheless, mimicking zipping his mouth closed. “Consider these lips sealed.”

Fell was tempted to mention that Swap didn’t actually have lips, but if growing up with Red had taught him anything—it was that any comment relating to a skeleton’s biology was a trap leading to some grand joke.

So, silence lingered between them for a moment—a nice silence. A comfortable one. Fell subconsciously rested his head on Swap’s shoulder, allowing his breath to tickle his counterpart’s cheek bone. He almost flinched when Swap finally spoke, his voice low and already sounding heavy with drowsiness. “It really does pay off not to listen to the universe…”

Fell was more than inclined to agree. His magic felt alive—and in the best way possible. He wasn’t buzzing with anger or apprehension; he didn’t feel ready to snap. He felt… safe. Content. At ease. It was as if the weight of his doubts had been lifted, leaving only a glimmer of uncertainty.

That glimmer was still there, though. This was new territory for him—he’d never felt… this particular emotion in his life (at least, not at this magnitude), and the unknown frightened him. He was sort of grateful for the elaborate set of rules they’d constructed; they brought some sense of stability to this. Something to fall back on, should things go awry. Fell knew it wasn’t completely reasonable—that if anything, he should be discarding the rules and confessing to everything—but that part of him that liked things to be simple, straightforward, and structured, was still clinging onto those rules.

He breathed in the slowly fading scent of Swap’s magic, still sweet in the air, and his soul squeezed. This felt good. It felt right. And entirely too unreal, to think that the universe was allowing him this moment—this completely untainted moment of happiness. He swallowed against the tears that prickled at the back of his sockets, unwilling to allow his own fragility to ruin this. He needed to retain his durability if he was going to get through this without messing it up. He couldn’t allow himself to crumble—not now, when he was so close to attaining… something good. Something _so_ good. Something better than anything he’d ever dared to hope for.

(A small, cruel voice in his head was whispering to him that he didn’t deserve this. After all, what had the Great and Terrible Papyrus ever done to earn something so good? His LV alone was enough to exempt him from ever deserving any peace of mind—any clarity in his soul. The things he’d done, be it in the name of survival or not, could not be forgiven this easily. The universe was playing a twisted trick on him—any moment, and this would all be snatched away.)

But for now, Fell ignored that voice. He ignored every worry warring in his mind, and allowed himself to enjoy the silence, broken only by Swap’s deep breathing. Almost on instinct, he wrapped his arms a little tighter around Swap, pulled him a little closer, buried his face a little deeper into the crook of his neck—just in case the universe decided to try and seize this from him.

 

****

 

For the second time that night, Fell was awoken from his half-conscious doze by the rude buzzing of his phone. He glanced down to see Red’s number, and with a groan (and _considerable_ reluctance), he drew away from Swap, climbing out of the bed and creeping out of the room before answering. “Red, what in the name of—this is the _second_ time you’ve interrupted me tonight!” he hissed, keeping his voice low lest he awake Swap. “What is this—”

“F-Fell, this is Blue. I—something’s happened to Red.”

And just like that, everything seemed to crumble. Every shred of stability, of repose, of contentment—was wiped away. It was as if Fell had been struck, his soul feeling so tight in his chest, he was certain he must be suffocating. The less reasonable part of his mind told him that this was somehow _his_ fault; that he’d somehow angered the universe by allowing himself that single moment of happiness. His hand clenched around the phone, and he strained to get his words out. “Blue. What happened?”

“I—I don’t know. He was fine—and then I turned around, and…” Blue trailed off, voice cracking. “F-Fell, I think you should get over here. I—I don’t know if—”

“I’m on my way,” Fell said, already at the front door. As the cold Snowdin air hit him, the warm afterglow of Swap’s presence seemed to extinguish from his soul, leaving nothing but the harsh cold he knew he deserved.

 

****

 

When Fell reached Muffet’s, Blue was already waiting for him outside. He was feebly supporting Red, whose arm was draped over his shoulders, his entire body slumped forward. _“What happened?”_ Fell demanded, hardly focused enough to keep his tone anything but brusque as he rushed towards them, grabbing a hold of Red to keep him upright.

“I don’t know,” Blue admitted, worry creasing his brow bone as he allowed Fell to examine Red. A brief inspection told him that his brother wasn’t completely unconscious, his eye sockets heavily lidded, but the dim flicker of his red eye-lights still visible. He was groaning slightly, a trail of drool running down his chin. Fell’s first instinct was to check for injuries, but a cursory once-over didn’t reveal any. A quick check of Red’s stats showed no damage to his HP either, which brought a great amount of relief.

Fell looked back up at his brother’s counterpart from where he was crouched in the snow, and he could feel the uncomfortable return of rage-fuelled magic swirling in his scarred eye socket. “Blue, you need to run me through _everything_ that happened since you set foot in the bar— _everything.”_

The stars in Blue’s eye-lights had all but flickered out, his features stricken with panic. With a deep breath and a shaky nod, he dove into a quick run-down of his and Red’s activities for that evening. Nothing seemed amiss, until he reached the part where they’d ordered drinks. Fell narrowed his eye sockets, regarding Blue intently. “He… didn’t drink anything?”

“Not much—only half a glass at most. I was talking to someone and—and when I turned around, he was…” Blue swallowed, shakily wiping away the tears pooling in his eye sockets. “F-Fell, is he going to be okay…?”

But Fell was barely paying attention, his mind reeling. A slow, sickening realisation dawned on him, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists as he rose from the ground. “Blue. Take Red home—your home, I don’t want him in Underfell in this state. Get him to bed. He’ll be fine.”

Blue opened his mouth, seeming briefly lost for words. “H-he will? Fell, what—”

 _“Now,_ Blue,” Fell snapped, causing Blue to flinch slightly. “Get him away from here. I trust you to take care of him. Don’t—” Fell hesitated, trying to take a deep, stabilising breath “—don’t come back here tonight.”

For a second, Blue remained frozen, and Fell feared he’d have to reiterate for a third time. But then, as if a switch had flicked in his mind, Blue seemed to spring into action, nodding with a new sense of determination. He pulled himself up straight, lifting Red into his arms with strength uncharacteristic of a Sans. “I’ll take care of him, Fell. I promise.” He held Fell’s gaze for a moment, as if trying to discern what his plans were. But he seemed to think better of it, giving one final nod, before hurrying off towards his home.

The moment he was gone, Fell was turning, eye-lights ablaze with wrathful magic. He pushed open the door to the bar, storming inside with a deliberate sense of purpose. It was a lot emptier than it had been earlier, many patrons likely having gone home for the night. But Fell spotted who he was looking for almost immediately.

The Astigmatism he’d encountered earlier that night sat at the bar, slouched slightly as if trying to remain inconspicuous. Fell ignored the curious gazes he received as he marched forward, every ounce of his remaining self-control channelled towards not dusting the creature right here and now. It didn’t stop him from handling the monster with more than necessary roughness. As he reached the bar, he took a firm grip of the creature’s arm, yanking it off the stool. It gave a yelp of surprise, a look of horror crossing its face as it turned to see him. “You’re coming with me,” Fell hissed, feeling the flames of his magic curling from his scarred eye socket. The monster opened its mouth in protest, but Fell leaned forward, lowering his voice to a growl. “Any resistance, and I’ll dust you right here. Consequences be damned.”

With a weakly concealed whimper, the Astigmatism conceded, allowing itself to be dragged across the room, stumbling to keep up. Just as it had been earlier, every set of eyes was on Fell, but he didn’t have enough composure remaining to bring himself to care. Every step he took was fuelled by fury, the temperament of his LV seeping into his intent.

The Astigmatism must have been holding back for the sake of appearances when inside the bar, because as soon as the cold air hit them, it began writhing and screeching, trying to free itself from Fell’s grip. But the Tale verse monster’s strength was pitiful in comparison to Fell’s, and in mere seconds, he had it pinned to the wall, his gloved hand choking it as he finally allowed his magic to emanate from him with free, untamed rage. “P-please, don’t—!” The Astigmatism’s plea was cut off with a gag as Fell tightened his hold.

“I don’t want to hear another word from you,” Fell spat, utterly disgusted. “I don’t want to hear your excuses, your justifications, your _begging._ Everything about you _repels_ me.” The creature began to sob, fat tears leaking from its central eye. Fell couldn’t even find it within himself to pity it, revulsion and fury dominating his emotions. With a bland roll of his eye-lights, he sighed in contempt. “And for my own sanity, _do not_ waste my time with your infantile weeping.”

“P-please—I… I d-didn’t—h-hurt your friend—” The Astigmatism’s words were choked out between heavy gasps. “I d-didn’t—”

“Oh, enough,” Fell griped, boredom dripping from his tone. “I suppose you think what you did was incredibly clever—wait until the intimidating monster leaves the bar, then drug someone else. How unfortunate for you that that someone else happened to be _my_ _brother.”_

Fell could feel the charge of his LV, coursing through his bones as it powered his rage, infused into his magic. And he didn’t care. He didn’t care that he’d snapped. He didn’t care that he’d lost control. He didn’t care that everything felt cold and empty, the only warmth coming from the hot, angry magic burning through him.

It was immensely satisfying seeing the way the Astigmatism’s already large eye widened even further at Fell’s revelation. A cruel smirk twisted its way onto his features. “That’s right. So unlucky. Perhaps karma was working against you. Maybe next time you should avoid spiking anyone’s drink entirely. But—oh.” Fell gave a low chuckle, a cold sound devoid of any humour. “I suppose there won’t be a next time for you.”

The creature’s whimpers and cries began anew, as did its fruitless struggles against Fell’s grip. “Please—please, I didn’t know—I didn’t know! I didn’t—” It broke off with a choked cry of agony as Fell slammed its head against the wall, his sharp fingers tightening.

“You vile, sick piece of _filth,”_ he snarled, magic flaring in the air around him. “Creatures like you don’t deserve mercy. You deserve _nothing._ You’re _worthless._ Irredeemable. You don’t deserve to exist in this world.”

In times to come, Fell would never be able to pinpoint exactly what triggered it, but in that moment, he could almost hear Swap’s words in his head— _‘You’re a good person, Fell. At least—you try to be. And that’s what’s important. That’s what I l—’_

Fell’s soul seemed to freeze in his chest, for the first time, unsure of how he wanted to proceed. More than anything, he wanted to hear the end of that sentence. To hear the words that would set everything right; cure him of this hatred. He wanted Swap to say those words—unblemished by what he would think of Fell if he went through with this. He wanted to allow the feeling of peace and tranquillity back in—to rid himself of this burden of malevolence.

This desire warred with the other part of him—the part still dominated by his LOVE. The part that had driven him to make it his goal to destroy the creature still struggling under his grip. The part overwhelmed by animosity—by disgust, hatred, wrath. Fell hated that part of himself.

Hated that he couldn’t control it.

Almost…

Marginally loosening his grip on the monster, Fell reached into his pocket, retrieving the small coin Swap had given to him. He only noticed that his hand was shaking when he tried to balance it between two fingers. Levelling the creature’s gaze, Fell gave a shuddering sigh, holding the coin up. “Since I’m feeling generous—I’ll leave your fate up to the universe.” Fell was feeling anything _but_ generous, this was merely his last dash attempt at salvaging himself from his crumbling stability—and his submission to his own LOVE. “Heads, you live. Tails, you die.” Fell’s voice quivered slightly, the fierce determination from moments ago lost in the conflicting battle between his two greatest impulses.

Hand still unsteady, Fell flipped the coin into the air, the Astigmatism’s panicked gaze following it all the way until it landed back on Fell’s palm. The skeleton glanced at it briefly, swallowing and giving a hollow nod. “Tails it is.” He shoved the coin back in his pocket, mind almost on automatic as he summoned an attack—a crimson bone with its end sharpened to a needle-like point—charged with magical killing intent. “Looks like the universe isn’t on your side.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: drugging (date-rape), threats of violence, actual violence (nothing too graphic), unhealthy self-deprecating thoughts, internalised self-loathing, emotional instability
> 
>  
> 
> **SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU'RE HERE FOR THE WARNINGS**
> 
> \--------------------------------------------------------
> 
> So. Uh. Bit of a turn from the adorable fluffiness of the last chapter. I have to apologise for anyone who was emotionally harmed by Fell's internal suffering (I know I was when writing this).
> 
> Disclaimer: do not flip a coin when deciding whether or not it is a good idea to murder someone! (or to have sex, for that matter).
> 
> My tumblr is [@alicedragons](https://alicedragons.tumblr.com/) for anyone who is interested (18+ only though, please!) Feel free to come and kick my ass for hurting your faves <3


	7. Rule number sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an emotionally pent up skeleton (or two) is finally able to confess, and we reach our final rule.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me a little longer to write, because (without giving away too many spoilers) - it's a big one. Strap in, because it's another emotional roller coaster.
> 
> Warnings in the end notes.

“Heya Boss? Can I come in?”

“Whether or not you do is entirely up to you, Red,” Fell said, without looking up from his book. Red released a weary sigh as he strolled over, and despite his preoccupation, Fell noticed the troubled expression on his face.

“Bro, do you, uh… mind if I sit?”

Fell’s gaze briefly flickered to his brother. It wasn’t often that Red dropped the title he normally used for Fell, and the deviation unsettled him slightly. Still, he gave no indication of his concern, giving a cursory wave of his hand. “I don’t see why not.” He turned back to his book, tapping his pencil on the page as he scanned the sudoku grid. While he’d completed most of these puzzles many times, doing them again helped settle him.

Red sat down, the bed shifting slightly under his weight, and frowned at Fell over the top of the page. It wasn’t difficult to guess what he must be thinking. Likely the same thing he’d been thinking all week. Fell hadn’t missed the anxious glances Red had given him when he thought he wasn’t looking, or the fact that he’d checked Fell’s stats at least twenty times since last week’s incident. Fell had been doing his best to ignore it, locking his bedroom door and studying his advanced puzzle making books, or sorting his figurines into the new battle formations he’d been learning about. He’d been trying to convince Undyne to extend his training time, but his request had been met with little more than poorly veiled concern from the fish monster. Fell wondered if Red had been talking to her.

He only realised he’d briefly dissociated when Red gave his shoulder a gentle shove. “C’mon, Boss, scooch over.” Fell blinked at his brother for a moment, before obliging, Red shuffling along the bed to lie beside him. They lay in silence for a few moments, Fell’s mind ticking anxiously as he waited for his brother to breach the dreaded topic that he knew had been warring on Red’s mind the entire week. “So… Swap came by earlier. Again.”

Oh. Not exactly what Fell had been expecting, but still a conversation he’d rather avoid. He sighed, putting his book down. “Did he?” His tone conveyed disinterest, but in truth, the news sent a silent ache through his soul.

“Yup. Wanted to see ya.”

“And?”

“And I sent ‘im away,” Red said, with a shrug. “Told ‘im ya didn’t want to be disturbed.”

“Hm.” It was times like these that Fell really appreciated his brother. Red was accustomed to Fell’s moodiness, and knew when to give him his space. Still, a small part of Fell sometimes wished his brother wasn’t so good at taking hints. But he knew he only had himself to blame for Red’s wariness when it came to his ‘bad days’ (or weeks).

“I’ve been feelin’ better,” Red said, glancing at Fell, who was still staring deliberately away from him. “Think I might be ready to head back to work tomorrow.”

“Hmm.” Fell gave his brother a quick, cursory glance—a check he always did out of habit to make sure his brother wasn’t lying for the sake of appearing more durable than he was. He was relieved to see that this time, Red was telling the truth. His bones had lost the yellowish tinge they’d adopted after he’d been drugged, and his eye-lights were brighter. Fell gave a stiff nod, turning away to pick up his book once again. “Well. Good. I dare say allowing you to laze around the house was not my first preference, but it appears to have improved your health. No more headaches?”

“Nope. Back to bein’ a regular old bonehead.”

Fell rolled his eye-lights. “And the nausea?”

“Gone.”

“Exhaustion?”

“Heh, well you know me, Boss. ‘m always bone-tired, but—ouch!”

“Hmm, you appear to have regained the ability to feel pain too, which is a good sign,” Fell said, as Red rubbed the back of his skull, scowling.

“Anyone ever told ya that yer kind of a dick, Boss?”

Fell remained nonchalant, returning to his sudoku. “Constantly. I’ve grown accustomed to it. It’s easy to tune out.”

Red grumbled something inaudible, which Fell ignored, opting to focus on his puzzle instead. He could feel Red’s eyes on him as he scanned the page, his brother choosing to remain silent for the moment as he scrutinised him. With a sigh, Fell turned to face the wall, his back to Red so that he could concentrate on the numbers in front of him. This particular puzzle was one he hadn’t done before—and he was finding it especially challenging.

He scowled at the sound of a cap being popped, catching sight of Red taking a large gulp of mustard out of the corner of his socket. With a lingering sigh, he said, “Brother. I assume your temporary illness has not erased the rules about eating in my room from your mind.”

Red made a non-committal noise in response, and continued to drink the foul yellow condiment. “Eh, figured it’d give me somethin’ to do—since yer not talkin’ to me.”

“I am talking to you, brother,” Fell said dryly, obstinately refusing to turn around. “This is what talking sounds like.”

Red chuckled, but continued to defy Fell, taking another sip of mustard. “Heh. Yer funny, Boss.” Fell allowed the seconds to tick by, trying to tune out the sound of Red’s incessant gulping. He frowned at the page in front of him, pencil tapping on the corner of the book as he attempted to solve the puzzle before him. But somehow, Red’s drinking only seemed to grow louder as time went on, until Fell was ready to snap his pencil in two.

Spinning around, he growled, “What _exactly_ is it that you want, _Red?”_

Red languidly allowed his gaze to travel to his brother’s face, seeming unperturbed, his brow bone raised. “Dunno whatcha talkin’ about, Boss. ‘m just lyin’ here with my mustard.”

Fell could tell that his brother was trying to get under his skin—metaphorically—and he pinched his nasal bridge between to fingers with a frustrated sigh. “Brother. If you wish to consume that vile substance then by all means, do so— _outside_ of my room.”

After a moment’s pause, eye-lights fixed on Fell, Red gave a shrug, shifting off the bed. “If ya say so, Boss—don’t let me get in yer way.” He glanced at the page Fell was holding, before reaching out a finger to tap on one of the grids. “Yer missin’ a three in yer second column there, Boss.” Fell frowned at the page, ready to snap at Red not to interfere—until he realised he was correct. Scowling, he erased his scribbles, and Red gave an easy grin, before sidling over to the door. “Well. See ya later then, Boss.”

Fell watched with uncertainty as Red reached for the doorknob, a lump seeming to form in his chest. Just as he was about to leave, Fell called out. “Red, wait.” Red turned, brow bone raised.

“Somethin’ eatin’ ya, Boss?”

Fell quickly shook his head, glancing at the carpet, trying to swallow against the lump, which seemed to have risen to his throat. “I—no, I just…” His mind frantically scrambled for a topic, and he hurriedly cleared his throat, looking up at his brother. “What did, uh—what did Swap want?”

Red’s expression was unreadable as he observed Fell, mustard bottle between his teeth. After what felt like an eternity, he shrugged. “Just wanted to check in, make sure ya were alright.”

Fell nodded, looking away quickly lest his expression give something away. “Oh.” He wasn’t sure whether to feel thrilled that Swap cared enough to have come by—or disappointed that he hadn’t pushed Red harder to let him inside. The lump seemed to grow heavier, and Fell only realised his grip on the book had tightened when his clawed fingers created small tears in the page. Stiffly, he placed it on the nightstand, leaning back against his headboard. “What did you tell him?” he asked, quietly.

Once again, Red’s gaze seemed to bear more weight than he was letting on, his deep scarlet eye-lights piercing through Fell as if he could see right into his mind. The silence seemed to linger for a moment too long before Red finally gave an indifferent wave of his hand. “Told ‘im ya were good. Just like always, right Boss?”

Fell forced himself to meet his brother’s gaze, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Red had that look in his eye—the look he got when he knew that there were cracks in Fell’s walls. The walls that he was normally so good at keeping rigid and sturdy, blocking out everything he didn’t wish to confront. And Fell knew Red was right. He could feel himself shaking slightly, the lump in his chest and throat seeming to constrict around his soul. He could feel the tears prickling the back of his eye sockets, and he bit down harshly to stop them.

Fell seldom experienced this feeling. This utter vulnerability that seemed to leave him in shreds. Shreds that were very difficult to knit back together. He flinched at the feeling of Red’s hand on his arm, looking up to find his brother gazing down at him patiently. The look in his eyes strayed nowhere near pity, for which Fell was grateful. He hated being pitied. “Y’know Boss…” Red began, sitting back down on the bed beside Fell. “Yer allowed to be happy.”

This seemed to strike something within Fell, because the next breath he took sounded shaky and strained—even to his own ears. He stared directly ahead, trying to stop the quivering of his hands. Haltingly, he shook his head, a wry smile making its way onto his features. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Red.”

Red sighed, his frown deepening. “Boss, listen…” He shifted closer, and Fell could feel his gaze boring into him. “I understand—believe me, I do. Growin’ up in this shithole—it’ll mess with ya. Especially you, Boss. Ya care so much about things—no matter what it is; trainin’ to be a guardsman, yer puzzles, cookin’, takin’ care of yer lazy big bro—it all matters to ya, a lot. And I know what this place does to that passion…” Out of the corner of his eye socket, Fell could see how troubled Red looked now, picking at his gold tooth. It was something Fell would normally scold him for, but even such a simple act seemed undoable at this point, a cold ache in his chest. His knuckles tightened into a fist, and he closed his eyes slowly to try and alleviate some of the tension in his bones.

“It twists it,” Red went on, voice taking on a grave tone. “It turns it into somethin’ dark. It channels it all towards one thing… survival.” Red was silent again, taking a gulp of mustard.

Fell sighed, shaking his head. “I know where you’re going with this, brother. And I’ve heard it before—hell, I’m sure _you’ve_ heard it before too. You think we are the way we are because we _have_ to be. To survive. I get it. You think I’m—”

Red gave a dry laugh, shaking his head, and Fell finally glanced up. Red was grinning, but it was nowhere near genuine, the soberness of the expression betrayed by the way the corners of his mouth twisted downward. “C’mon, Boss, it’s me. I’ve seen ya at yer worst. I know not everythin’ ye’ve done has been fer the right reasons—same goes fer me, but… but that’s not my point.” Red’s grin faded, turning into something pained. “This world… it takes things like love and compassion—and it crushes ‘em. Forces ya to hide ‘em under layers and layers of anger and hostility.”

Fell grit his teeth against the almost overwhelming impulse to snap. “Thank you, Red. For pointing out the obvious. I’m an asshole. I get it.”

“Boss—yer not listenin’ to me. I’m tellin’ ya that yer _the opposite._ Yer kind, and yer good—ya just keep it hidden. ‘Cause this shithole makes it seem like a bad thing.”

Fell swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut. Swap’s voice rang through his head, as clear as if he were standing right there. _‘You’re a good person, Fell.’_ He could feel tears threatening to fall, and he bit them back, scowling. “Damn it, Red. Why are you even telling me this? What does it matter?”

 _“Because,_ Boss,” Red was sounding less and less collected, his voice shaking slightly, “because I need ya to know that bein’ a good person ain’t a bad thing. Bein’ kind and _carin’_ about shit doesn’t make ya weak. Love—the real kind, not the bullshit number that ya seem to think defines ya—it ain’t a weakness, Boss. It’s a strength. Don’t keep it buried. You can let yourself be happy—even if it’s just for a day, an hour—a damn _minute,_ Boss. _Please.”_

Fell stared directly ahead, unsure if he’d be able to hold it together if he looked at his brother. His fists were clutched around the covers of his bed, and he could feel himself quivering. A heaviness seemed to weigh on his soul—a sick, churning feeling that only seemed to grow worse the longer he remained silent. The thoughts he’d been trying so hard to repress this past week all seemed to be resurfacing, threatening to breach the surface and shatter every ounce of his composure.

He almost flinched when Red spoke again, his voice low and exhausted. “I get that it’s hard fer ya, Boss. I know what it’s like. I understand that it’s hard to deal with—”

“No, you don’t.” Fell’s voice had dropped to a growl, and he almost couldn’t believe the words had come out of his own mouth. He finally looked up, pushing down the pain in his chest, and pinning his brother with a firm stare. “You _don’t_ know what it’s like, Red. None of you do. None of you have LOVE—none of you will _ever_ understand.” Fell could feel the LV inside his soul now, twisting it like a searing cold fire.

Red shook his head, and Fell could see the defeated look in his eyes. It sent a twinge of guilt through him, quashing some of the frigid anger his LV had induced. “Yer right, Boss. I—I’m sorry…” The guilty feeling grew, and Fell turned away again, hiding the angry tears pooling in his eye sockets.

“No—no, don’t be,” he half-choked, his words seeming stuck in his throat. “I’m sorry, Red, I—”

“Hey—hey, it’s alright.” Red carefully placed a hand on Fell’s shoulder, moving slowly in a way Fell was certain was deliberate. “How ‘bout we head downstairs, grab somethin’ to eat? That sound good?” Fell could only nod, not trusting himself to speak. Red offered him a half-smile as he strode towards the door, and Fell slowly climbed off the bed, following his brother to the stairs.

His soul was still pulsing with undirected magic, his entire body seeming to buzz nervously with it. He could feel the magic involuntarily flowing outward from his soul, channelling into his fingertips, as if anticipating a fight. Fell clenched his fists, trying to quash it with every ounce of control he had. Closing his eyes, he took three deep breaths, counting backwards from ten before he opened them again. He only realised he’d come to a stop at the top of the stairs, when Red’s voice broke through his reverie. “You okay, Boss?” Red was watching him from the foot of the steps, chewing on the tip of his bottle of mustard. His eyes darted away from Fell for a moment, lingering on something in the living room, and that guilty prickle reignited in Fell’s chest.

He nodded quickly, following Red down the stairs. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice tight. Red offered him a weak smile, and Fell forced himself to look away. He hated seeing Red worried, especially when he was the source of that worry. Fell glanced around the living room when he reached the bottom of the stairs, and immediately froze.

Swap was sitting on sofa. The moment Fell entered the room, he looked up, immediately rising from his seat. “Fell—”

“What. Is _he_ doing here?” Fell hissed through his teeth. Red grinned sheepishly, picking at his gold tooth as he glanced between Swap and Fell.

“Sorry Boss,” he mumbled. “You Papyrus assholes are stubborn. Couldn’t get ‘im to leave.”

Fell barely glanced at Red, his gaze fixed on Swap. Inside, his soul was fluttering—whether it was with excitement or anxiety, Fell couldn’t quite discern. Swap was shifting uncomfortably, his hands shoved in his pockets, and his gaze somehow unwavering as he watched Fell uneasily. “What are you doing here?” Fell asked, his tone harsh. “I don’t want you here.”

Fell’s words made Swap visibly flinch, but he shook his head. “Fell, I just wanted to see you—to make sure you’re—”

“I don’t _want_ you here _,”_ Fell reiterated, his voice lowered to a growl. Swap grimaced, his gaze never leaving Fell’s face. Fell scowled and turned away to stare at the carpet, the blistering flames of his LV seeming to reignite.

For a few charged moments, silence rang between them, Fell doggedly avoiding Swap’s gaze. He could feel those golden eye-lights on him. But unlike Red’s, which had been full of hard scrutiny, Swap’s were soft, tender—almost warm. They weren’t piercing, or calculating. They were safe. They made Fell feel…

Fell blinked, realising he was staring directly at Swap, who looked somber as he regarded him. Muttering a silent curse, he returned to glaring at the carpet, this time trying to wipe Swap from his mind completely. He heard Red give an awkward cough. “Well… I’m gonna head to Grillby’s. You two, uh, have fun.” Red glanced at Fell, a small frown on his features. “Try not to kill ‘im, Boss,” he whispered, leaning in. Fell grumbled a half-hearted response, eyes still lowered in contempt for the other two skeletons in the room.

Red glanced between them one last time, before sighing and taking a long gulp of mustard. Shooting Swap a deliberate look, he headed out into the snow, door closing and locking behind him. Fell could feel the sudden spike in tension the moment his brother left, both he and Swap seeming hesitant to break the silence. He dared a quick glance at the other skeleton, and found his eyes still firmly pinned on him. “What exactly is it you want?” he asked, voice thick with frustration.

“I… Fell you’ve been dodging my calls all week, I just—”

“You just what?” Fell asked, brow bone raised derisively. “You were getting horny and lonely? You missed having someone to fuck?” Fell scoffed, rolling his eye-lights with a sneer. “Please. You’re an attractive guy, Swap. I’m sure you can find someone else’s dick to suck.”

Fell almost felt guilty upon seeing the hurt in Swap’s eyes as he frowned, shaking his head slowly. “No. No, that’s not it at all, I just… I wanted to know if you were okay. I… know what happened at the bar last week,” he admitted, quietly. “I know Red was drugged, and—well it’s not hard to guess who was responsible.”

Swap paused, observing Fell apprehensively, who gave a dreary sigh, folding his arms. “And? Do I look hurt to you, idiot? I’m fine.”

“You know that’s not what I meant, asshole,” Swap murmured, voice hushed to a whisper.

Fell swallowed, feeling uncomfortable. Doing his best not to show it, he gave Swap an audacious smirk. “You want to know if I killed that monster, don’t you?”

“Did you?” Swap asked, quietly.

Fell was silent, his smirk fading. It pained him to see the way Swap’s face seemed to fall slightly, his eye-lights dimming. “It doesn’t matter,” Fell grumbled, marching past Swap toward the kitchen. He scowled to himself as Swap hurried after him, seeming undeterred by Fell’s less than subtle attempts to shake him off. He made his way to the kettle, and began boiling a mug of water.

“Fell…”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Fell groused, irritably. He added a couple of spoonfuls of instant coffee to his mug, and began stirring it rigorously, determined to caffeinate himself before continuing this conversation.

“Fell, I… I need to know.”

Fell spun suddenly, pinning Swap with his glare. Swap startled slightly, taking a step back as Fell invaded his personal space, pressing him against the kitchen table. He no longer cared about the hostility he was exuding, or how afraid Swap looked, eyes going wide as Fell glowered at him. “Why do you want to know?” he snapped. “Why are you trying to pick this apart? You know that I’m a killer. I’ve killed before—” Fell gave a dry, humourless laugh that made Swap cringe away “—hell, I’ll probably kill again. Why do you care about one monster? And such a piece of shit at that.”

Swap still seemed to be trying to lean away from Fell, though somehow, his eyes never left Fell’s face, still projecting that unreasonable amount of warmth. Fell was doing everything in his power to ignore the faint sense of comfort that gaze seemed to pass through him, trying to remaining stoical and cold. “It was a Tale monster, Fell,” Swap said at last, his voice very small. “That… doesn’t sit right with me…”

This time, Fell really did laugh, almost in disbelief. Reluctantly, he forced himself to meet Swap’s gaze, his own stare almost malicious in comparison to that of the other skeleton. Swap looked uneasy, his hands shaking slightly where they were clutched onto the table. Fell shook his head, his own cold laughter still seeming to ring in his ears. “It doesn’t _sit right_ with you? Are you kidding me? Who do you think I am, Swap?”

Swap was silent for a moment, frowning at Fell with more concern than fear—not quite what Fell was going for. “Look, Fell, I didn’t mean—”

“You think my life is some big tragedy?” Fell interrupted, holding Swap with a cold glare. “That I’m just a poor, unfortunate soul who’s been forced into a bad situation? That I only kill people because I _have_ to—to protect my brother or myself? That the only reason my LOVE sits at _thirteen_ is because I’m a helpless victim who’s been forced to adhere to a system I hate? Is that what you think?”

Swap quickly shook his head, trying to shift away, but Fell refused to let him go, determined to drive his point home. He pinned Swap against the table, leaning close to growl, “Well guess what? I’m not. I’m a killer. And I always will be.”

Swap was still for a moment, gaze unwaveringly locked on Fell’s face, almost frustratingly so. But Fell could see the beginnings of fear etching onto his features, a sliver of doubt beneath the uncanny warmth in his eyes. Still, he shook his head, swallowing heavily. “B-but, you’re not. You only do it because you—”

“Because I have to?” Fell asked, deadpan. “Because I have no other choice? There’s always a choice, Swap. Always. And yes, sometimes that choice is difficult, but you can be sure I always find a million ways to justify it.”

“But that’s the point, Fell. You _have_ to justify it to yourself.” Swap almost sounded exasperated now, much to Fell’s discontent. The gentler skeleton had a fierce look in his eyes, pulling himself up so that he and Fell were level. “You don’t do it because you want to—you do it because you _have_ to.”

“Oh, do I?” Fell scoffed, shaking his head. “You really don’t understand at all, do you? Do you really think I gained thirteen LOVE purely from self-defence? Do you _really_ think I killed all those monsters because I _had_ to?” Fell shook his head, allowing a cold smile to creep onto his face. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I did it because I _wanted_ to?” Fell noticed the way Swap tried to stop himself from flinching, but the ever so slight step back gave him away. He allowed his smile to widen, folding his arms. “Look at you—you’re terrified. And you should be. You should stay away from me.”

Swap closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Fell could see the fear in his face, the slight uncertainty beneath the stubborn determination. It pained him to see Swap like this—nervous and unsettled—it almost made Fell yearn for his usual laid-back attitude. But he knew—at least, he kept telling himself—that this was a _good_ thing. That if Swap was afraid, he would stay away from Fell. And as much as it pained him, Fell knew Swap was better off without him. Better off without someone with Fell’s affinity to violence and hostility. Better off without someone who was such a _burden._

Slowly however, Swap’s composure seemed to return, and he opened his eyes, fixing Fell with a hard stare. “No,” he said, voice level. “I know what you’re trying to do, _brat_.” Fell flinched slightly – more at the familiarity of the nickname than the scathing of Swap’s tone. “You’re trying to push me away—it’s not going to work. I know you’re just trying to scare me. And yeah, you’re a scary fucking asshole, but… I know you won’t hurt me.”

Fell’s smirk faded into a frown, and he held Swap’s gaze, refusing to be the first to budge. But Swap was looking at him with something more than just obstinance, his intentions deeper than simply defying Fell. It was that softness, that warmth that somehow seemed to calm Fell’s soul, making him feel both vulnerable and safe at the same time. He seemed to _care._

Gritting his teeth until it hurt, Fell turned away, returning to his coffee. “I can’t force you to listen to me. Do whatever you like. I don’t care.” Remaining silent, and ignoring Swap, he stirred the contents of his mug, before taking a long sip without waiting for it to cool down. He gave no indication of how it scorched his throat, or how bitter it tasted, barely registering anything but the feeling of Swap’s eyes on him. He kept his back turned, hoping that if he waited long enough, the other skeleton would just leave. He jumped slightly at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Swap standing far too close for his liking. Now it was his turn to back away. “Why are you still here, asshole?” he asked, hearing how tired he sounded.

“Fell…” Swap slowly reached for Fell’s hand, which he yanked away, narrowing his eye sockets. Swap paused for a moment, before continuing. “Please, tell me what happened after you left the other night. I can’t—I can’t stop thinking about it, wondering if—”

“I don’t care what you think,” Fell bit out, taking a long sip of his coffee. “If you have a problem with who I am, then keep it to yourself.”

Swap shook his head, looking frustrated. “That’s my problem—it _isn’t_ who you are. As much as you like to pretend it is, you’re not that person. You aren’t your LV. You’re _more_ than that, Fell.”

Fell grimaced, muttering something inaudible as he shook his head. “Then why does it matter whether or not I killed that monster? If I’m so above my actions—what does the murder of one piece of shit matter?”

Swap observed him for a moment, expression taut with worry. Fell never thought he’d miss the lazy smirk on Swap’s face, but right now, he’d give anything to wipe that doubt from Swap’s features—that hesitant, shaky cautiousness that had no place on the face of someone who was normally so at ease. “Fell, do you remember what happened… before you left?” Swap asked, quietly.

Fell sighed, downing the last of his coffee and placing the mug in the sink beside him. “We fucked.”

Fell ignored the way his soul warmed slightly when the corners of Swap’s mouth turned up. “You know it was more than that, asshole.”

“Was it? I don’t recall.” Even Fell could hear how unconvincing he sounded. In truth, his… intimacy with Swap had been on his mind just as much as the incident with the Astigmatism had. Under different circumstances, Fell might have been elated by the fact that he and Swap had finally broken one of their cardinal rules—finally done away with the ridiculous pretence that their arrangement didn’t mean anything. But given the situation, he found himself instead trying very hard not to lose his mind over the broken rule. The rules had been one thing he’d still had to cling onto—a lifeline of sorts, something to establish some order into the chaos battling in his mind.

He flinched as Swap’s fingers brushed against his own, and as he looked up, he could feel his walls crumbling around him. “Fell…” Swap was standing so close, Fell could smell the scent of him—the scent that brought him back to that night, Swap wrapped so tightly in his arms, when everything had been—

No, no, _no_ —he couldn’t let himself think about that. He couldn’t… “Fell, if… if that night meant anything— _please,_ tell me what happened.”

Fell was quivering, his hand shaking where it was clasped in Swap’s. He tried to look away, but Swap cupped his face gently with the palm of his hand, turning him so that their eyes met. Fell could feel the prickling tears returning, the lump reforming in his throat, his stability quickly dwindling. “Rule number fourteen,” he managed to choke. “No personal questions.”

Swap smiled, a quiet laugh escaping him as he shook his head, refusing to let Fell look away. And there was so much damn _warmth_ in his eyes. So much empathy and compassion. Fell almost felt sick, his soul churning in confusion at the relentless waves of emotion crashing over him. “Rule number fifteen—since we’re just throwing them around now—” Swap shook his head with a small smile “—no more keeping things to yourself. Fell…” Swap leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together, and whispering, “let me help you. I can…”

Fell pushed him away abruptly, Swap staggering slightly. _“Don’t,”_ Fell hissed, the word fuelled with venom. “I don’t want your fucking help. I don’t _need_ it.”

Swap watched him for a moment, something sad seeping into his expression. But it was the small smirk that crept onto his face that seemed to break something within Fell. “I thought I told you not to _push_ me away, brat. Heh.”

Fell was still for a moment, his soul lurching at the comfort the pun seemed to bring. It spread a wrenching warmth through him, and he clutched the kitchen counter, failing to steady his breath as the tears began to fall. “I—I didn’t do it, okay!” he cried, voice cracking.

Swap blinked for a moment, frowning. “Didn’t do what?”

Fell shook his head, failing to fight the tears trailing slowly from his eye sockets. “I didn’t—I didn’t kill that monster. I… I couldn’t do it.” Fell choked slightly as he gasped, burying his face in one of his shaking hands, trying to hide his tears. “I couldn’t… I—”

Fell could picture that night now—the way the seconds had seemed to elapse in slow motion, his entire mind and soul consumed by confusing waves of instability and doubt—brought on by both his LOVE, and his feelings for Swap. The excruciating battle between two overwhelming impulses; the way his magic had shattered before him, unable to deliver that final blow. The utter shame that had followed…

“Fell…” Swap’s hand was on his arm, hesitant, but comforting. “Why…?”

“Because,” Fell gasped, still clutching onto the counter, as if it might steady his emotions. “Because I—I couldn’t go on—knowing what you’d think of me—how you’d _see_ me if I did it… I couldn’t…” He looked up at Swap, releasing another heavy sob at the pure empathy in Swap’s expression. “All—all I could think about was… the look on your face if I’d… You—you would’ve hated me! You would’ve—”

Fell broke off with a gasp as Swap wrapped his arms around him, holding him steady as he tried to stifle his sobs. “It’s okay, Fell,” Swap soothed, running a gentle hand down his spine. Fell could hear the relief in Swap’s tone, and his breath hitched, the tears starting to flow steadily. “I could never hate you, you idiot. Never.”

“It’s—it’s not,” Fell breathed. “It’s not okay. I may as well have—the fact that you even _thought_ there was a possibility that I might have done it—”

“But you _didn’t,”_ Swap insisted, drawing away to hold Fell’s gaze. “You didn’t do it, Fell. I knew you didn’t do it. I—I knew…” Swap released a shaky breath of relief, seeming unable to stop the smile stretching across his face.

But Fell was still shaking his head, his breaths unsteady. “Then—then why were you so persistent? Why did you keep asking—if you knew, then why—”

“Because I needed you to say it, Fell—because _you_ needed to say it. You needed to admit that you’re… that you’re more than just some dumb fucking number.”

“I—I’m not, Swap—it’s not just a—a number,” Fell sobbed, clutching his skull in his hands as he tried fruitlessly to stop the tears. “I’m not—I’m still a killer. I could’ve done it. I _wanted_ to do it. I—”

“Then why didn’t you?” Swap asked, regarding Fell with sincerity.

Fell was stunned. He felt frozen—in mind and in body. He was shaking uncontrollably; unbalanced, confused, overwhelmed. This was all too much. His mind couldn’t process what was happening—how Swap had somehow managed to tear down his walls, leaving him feeling weak and exposed—and somehow comfortable and protected at the same time. Even as Swap gently pried his hands away from his face, holding them steady, Fell shook his head, soul withering in his chest. “I—can’t,” he choked. “Don’t Swap—please, don’t make me say it, I can’t—I can’t say it.”

Swap smiled, the expression faint but earnest, and nodded calmly. “It’s alright, it’s okay—you don’t have to. I… I’ll say it.” Fell bit back against the sobs wracking his chest, letting Swap cup the back of his neck, tilting his head upward. Swap’s eyes were gentle, the softness of his gaze allowing a small prickle of calm settle in Fell’s soul. “Do you remember how our arrangement started?” Swap asked. “It was right here, in this kitchen.” He laughed, quietly, shaking his head. “Hey Fell—two horny idiots walk into a kitchen—”

“Swap, I—if you start now, I swear, I’ll—”

Swap chuckled, shaking his head. “Sorry. Force of habit.” He glanced around for a moment, something akin to fondness in his eyes. “We kissed here—right here. For the first time. Do you remember?” Fell could only nod, still struggling to hold back his tears, although now it wasn’t so much out of pain as it was confusion—an overwhelming amount of warm satisfaction mingling with the small part of him that was still too afraid to lay himself bare. “Hm.” Swap looked at Fell, and it suddenly occurred to him how close they were standing. He could feel Swap’s breaths on his face, the sweet smell of him in the atmosphere. But Swap glanced away, looking thoughtful. “I have a new rule,” he said, quietly.

Fell sighed, rolling his eyes. “Swap. Enough with the d-damn rules.” His voice still shook slightly with his lingering sobs, but there was an element of humour in it, and he struggled to keep the small smile off his face.

Swap grinned, still appearing contemplative as he looked up at Fell with a shake of his head. “It’s actually an old rule—the first one I came up with.”

Fell frowned. “The first rule was—”

“I didn’t tell you this one,” Swap said. “It was… kind of just something I kept for myself—to stop me from taking things too far.” He gave a soft laugh, shaking his head. “I was such an idiot. You know, I… I sort of proposed the whole stupid arrangement thing because I thought it might help me get you out of my system.” Swap glanced at Fell, shrugging. “Didn’t work.”

Fell swallowed, heat flowing through his bones and pooling in his mouth. Swap’s proximity was stirring his magic—and in a far more pleasant way than he’d been experiencing this past week. He could still feel the tears drying on his cheekbones, and he reached up to wipe them away. Swap inched ever so slightly closer, one of his hands looping around Fell’s back, the other drawing Fell’s hand away from his cheek. For a brief moment, Fell tensed, his mind reeling. But as Swap began to speak again, his soft voice seemed to soothe the rigidity of Fell’s bones, relaxing him.

“I… came up with this rule. It was…” Swap shook his head, chuckling to himself as if there was some inside joke Fell was missing. “You know, it’s kind of pointless making a rule you’ve already broken.” Swap’s gaze darted to Fell’s mouth, hovering there for a moment. Fell caught a brief glimpse of his tongue, flickering at the corner of his teeth. “But I suppose I may as well tell you, since… since I’m so fucking tired of keeping it to myself.”

Fell’s soul thrummed in his chest, his own tongue already having formed in his mouth. He could feel the heat of Swap’s magic, radiating from his body, which was pressed up against his own. Swap’s hand was still around his waist, and he could feel his fingers deftly tracing over his iliac crest, sending shivers down his spine. “Swap…” he breathed.

Swap cupped his jaw, meeting his gaze with a fierceness that suddenly seemed so out of place in contrast to his soft touches on Fell’s bones. His eye-lights were burning with heated golden magic, and Fell could feel his ragged breaths against his face. “Rule number sixteen, Fell,” Swap whispered, his tone almost desperate, “don’t fall in love.”

Fell had no composure left, no control—and no desire to restrain himself any longer. He pressed forward, crushing their mouths together in an earnest kiss. He immediately felt Swap’s magic meeting his own, and allowed himself to revel in its sweetness, letting Swap explore every inch of him; hands trailing down his spine, stroking gently over his jaw, tongue intertwining with Fell’s own magic. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his soul, which was burning brightly in his chest.

He grasped onto Swap’s hoodie, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. He couldn’t get enough—he couldn’t hold back any longer. It was as if every emotion he’d been trying to supress had suddenly been released, channelling into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around the back of Swap’s neck, trying to urge him forward, pull him closer—he needed _more._ It was euphoria. It was utter bliss, and Fell didn’t want it to end.

But as it was with all good things, the kiss did end. Swap broke away, gasping. His eye-lights were wild with ecstatic magic, the gold burning deeply as he stared at Fell, panting slightly. Fell’s hands were still clutched desperately around the back of Swap’s neck, and every shred of magic in his body was screaming at him that this was right. This was _perfect._

Eventually, Swap seemed to gather enough composure to give a small, shaky laugh. He tried to draw away, but Fell held him firmly, wanting nothing more than for this moment to last forever. “So, uh…” Swap began, hand twisting almost unconsciously in Fell’s shirt, “you on board with the new rule?”

A smile spread across Fell’s face, and he laughed, shaking his head. “Swap—what’s the point of a rule that we’ve both already broken?”

Swap’s smile grew slightly, the corner of his mouth tugging up. “Both…?” he asked hesitantly, eyes searching Fell’s face.

Fell nodded, pressing their teeth together again, the kiss soft and tender, spreading a deep satisfaction through his soul. “Both,” he whispered as they broke away, resting his head on Swap’s shoulder. “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for: Self-deprecating thoughts, anxiety, bad coping mechanisms, mention of drugging (from previous chapter)
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> **SPOILERS BELOW**
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> I've been planning the line for rule number 16 basically since I started writing this. And no, I definitely didn't accidentally stray from my plan and forget that I still had to shove in 2 more rules before number 16 and BS them in this chapter what.  
> The point is, these two idiots finally confessed. And let's be real, rule number 16 was broken right from chapter one.
> 
> I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read this far! You're all amazing and I love you.  
> There will be one more chapter after this (unless I deviate from my plans again, which is always a possibility) - an epilogue of sorts, but still basically a normal (probably long as fuck) chapter. I'm hoping to have it done before next weekend, but I'm a slow writer, so we'll have to see.  
> Hope you all enjoyed!
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> Feel free to come say hi to me on my tumblr: [@alicedragons](https://alicedragons.tumblr.com/) (it is NSFW so 18+ only please!)


	8. Rules are made to be broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stripping away years of culminated mistrust and doubt is a difficult task, but Swap is certainly up to it. (Aka: someone give this edgelord a hug)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, before I get started on anything else, I just need to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this fic! I'll admit, there were times where I struggled a bit, but overall, I think it went fairly well! And I honestly could not have gotten through it without the wonderful love and support from all of you - so thank you!!
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> As sad as I am that it's over, I can't deny that I am very happy to finally be able to tick one of my WIPs off my LONG list. Fear not! I have a (literal) shit-ton of Spicyhoney stuff still in the making, so be prepared for plenty more angst and fluff!
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> So, here you go! Very fittingly, this last chapter is the longest - over 7.4k (guys. i have a problem. i can't shut the hell up.)
> 
> Mild warning for intrusive thoughts.

Fell couldn’t recall ever having experienced a feeling of such ecstasy. The sound, feeling, and smell of Swap seemed to dominate his senses, eliciting a burning in his soul, which he could feel glowing in his ribcage. Their magic twisted together in a heated kiss, doing next to nothing to satisfy Fell, only intensifying his desire for more. He wrapped his arms around the back of Swap’s neck, pulling their bodies flush together, so that he could feel every movement Swap made, every tingle of magic that ran through his body.

Swap moaned softly, the sound muffled by the close press of their mouths, and Fell took it as a cue to push forward, trailing his hands down Swap’s spine. He was rewarded with a series of shivers, Swap’s fingers gripping delicately onto the back of Fell’s shirt as their kiss deepened. He could feel Swap’s magic, like a warm electricity buzzing in the air, and he allowed it to envelop him, giving in to the feeling of contentment it channelled into his soul.

Trailing his tongue over Swap’s jaw, Fell began to nip gently at the bones of his neck, evoking a string of short gasps from the other skeleton. He smiled against Swap’s vertebrae, breath ghosting over the jagged bones. “Am I right in assuming you want to do this here?” he asked, fingers hooking under the waistband of Swap’s pants.

“Heh, you know I’d fuck you anywhere, Fell, but…” Swap paused for a moment, breath catching as Fell dipped his fingers lower. “But—uh… I would’ve thought—being the f-fussy little brat you are—you would’ve wanted this to be… perfect.”

Fell paused for a moment, his hand itching to continue its exploration of Swap’s bones. But instead he glanced up, meeting Swap’s gaze. There was no hesitance in his eyes, no hint of reluctance or second-guessing. In fact, their golden colour seemed brighter, and his cheekbones were flushed. Fell leaned in, cupping his jaw and kissing him delicately, as if anything more might be enough to break the absolute sublimity of this moment. He shook his head as he drew away, smiling. “This is perfect. This is…” he trailed off, taking a deep breath. “This is everything I could ever ask for.”

He kissed Swap again, this time with a greater sense of urgency, his tongue persistently exploring every inch of his mouth. His hands began to roam over Swap’s ilium, creeping lower as their kiss intensified. Swap hummed softly, and Fell couldn’t stop himself from releasing a small whine of reluctance when he slowly pulled away. “Didn’t we have a rule about fucking in the kitchen?” Swap asked, gaze flickering around the room with a smirk.

Fell narrowed his eye sockets, observing Swap for a moment before allowing his hands to rest on his iliac crests. “To hell with the rules—I’m fucking you here.”

Swap grinned, eye-lights glinting. “Really? I mean—I’m not opposed, but honestly Fell, it’s a little unhygienic, and—”

“Oh, _shut up,_ will you?” Fell growled, fingers scraping over the smooth bones of Swap’s hips as he switched their positions. He managed to draw a sharp inhale from Swap as he spun them around, pinning Swap to the counter so that he was unable to move away, completely susceptible to every ounce of attention Fell was lavishing his bones in.

Fell could practically picture Swap grinning above him as he dipped his head once more, releasing a sigh of satisfaction at the feeling of Swap’s hand on the back of his skull. “Fell, hmm…” Swap breathed heavily as Fell’s sharpened teeth caught on the bones of his neck. “If I’d known you’d get like this… I would have—t-told you sooner…”

“Fuck, I love you,” Fell breathed, “I love you so fucking much.” The words brought wave upon wave of blissful relief to Fell every time he spoke them, his soul almost swelling in his chest at the soft sweet nothings spilling from Swap’s mouth as Fell doted on every inch of him.

“Hah, Fell… I need you… please…” The words were spoken quietly, but there was a hint of desperation to them, a need that Fell couldn’t deny he was feeling too. He clutched onto Swap insistently, trying to gather enough composure to look him in the eye.

“Bedroom. T—take us there, now.”

Amusement crossed Swap’s features, though the itching desire was still apparent beneath. “What happened to ‘I fuck you where I like’?”

Fell rolled his eye-lights, Swap’s teasing seeming to snap a little sense back into him. “You were right. This is terribly unhygienic.”

Swap blinked for a moment, his grin broadening. “Did you just say… that I was right?”

“Love does strange things to you,” Fell said, deadpan. “Besides, this is more like lovemaking than fucking, since we’re…”

“In love?” Swap suggested, releasing a small laugh. The part of Fell’s mind that still found Swap irritating to no end was telling him to chastise the lazy skeleton for his half-hearted pun, but just hearing the confession ignited such a deep, sudden longing in his soul, that he found himself pressing forward and enveloping Swap in an urgent kiss instead. Swap released a small noise of surprise, which quickly devolved into a soft sigh as Fell cupped the back of his skull, drawing him closer.

Allowing his eye sockets to fall closed, Fell melted into the kiss, letting himself relax for a moment. In the back of his mind, a small voice was still telling him that things weren’t perfect. That he was still a killer, and that Swap still disapproved of that small detail. But right now, it was very easy to ignore that voice. To let himself believe that Swap really did love him, despite the LV that still tarnished him.

When they parted, Swap was smiling, and that look alone was enough for Fell. “I love you too, you know.”

Fell found it easy to return Swap’s smile, and he shook his head. “I know. Now hurry up. I’m horny.”

Swap grinned, pulling Fell closer, that glint of teasing in his eye-lights. “Short-cut?” Fell’s nod of agreement was stiff, though he had to admit, he was glad Swap was asking his permission for a change. Still, he squeezed his eyes shut as the world swirled around them. Despite the mood, he knew he’d never grow to enjoy teleportation. The dazed feeling was quickly wiped from his mind as Swap’s hands dropped to his belt, making quick work of the buckle.

“No more foreplay?” Fell asked, regarding Swap with amusement.

“Fell, these past two months have been enough foreplay for me. Just fucking make love to me.” Fell’s cheekbones heated in spite of himself, and he swallowed against the magic pooling in his mouth, letting Swap guide him to the bed. He fumbled slightly with Swap’s pants, shaking a little with nerves and anticipation. This felt different somehow, and he couldn’t dispel the intrusive thoughts telling him that this happiness he was feeling was as fragile as spun glass.

Somehow sensing his anxiety, Swap tilted his chin upward, their gazes meeting. They were both silent for a moment, but the soft smile Swap was giving him sent a soothing wave of calm over Fell. He allowed himself to be shifted into a reclined position, Swap situating them side-by-side. Even in the midst of the charged sexual tension, Fell found himself enjoying the moment of stillness; the absolute tranquillity that he was so unused to.

He felt Swap’s hand trailing down his spine toward his pelvis, and his mouth was suddenly occupied again, Swap pressing against him with a renewed fervour. Fell’s breath caught as Swap’s hand brushed his cock, already hard beneath the confines of his pants. He could feel Swap grinning as he nipped gently at Fell’s tongue, fingers curling around the appendage, thumb rubbing smooth circles over the head. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t missed this,” Swap murmured, dragging a phalange along the length of Fell’s cock.

Fell did his best to withhold his whimpers, but the taste of Swap’s magic, combined with the feeling of his practiced hands working his cock, was enough to draw a few strained gasps from him. Not wanting to be outdone, he dropped a hand beneath the waistband of Swap’s pants without warning, finding his cock already leaking precum. The quiet hitch of Swap’s breath as Fell gripped it tightly sent an immense amount of satisfaction through him, and he trailed his tongue down Swap’s jaw as he began pumping his cock. “Hmm, I agree—you always make the most delicious sounds.” Fell’s words were rewarded with another poorly concealed moan from his counterpart, and Fell chuckled, nuzzling into the nape of Swap’s neck, before grazing his teeth over the sensitive vertebrae.

“F—Fell… shit…” He could feel Swap slowly falling apart beneath him, his own movements on Fell’s cock stuttering slightly. With a deep groan of contentment, Swap tilted Fell’s head again, kissing him with an insatiable longing, heated enough that Fell had to grip onto the back of Swap’s neck, as if to hold himself steady. “F-faster—Fell, please—ah, I’m s-so close…”

Fell could feel his own climax impending as well, and hastily quickened his pace on Swap’s cock, pumping it with an almost salacious need to draw more of those wonderful sounds from Swap. Whining and panting without restraint, Swap clutched desperately onto Fell, fingers digging into his shoulder as his own movements on Fell’s cock became faltering. “Oh—fuck,” Fell groaned, pressing his forehead against Swap’s shoulder. “Fuck, I love you, Swap—I love you so much, please—come for me… let me hear you.”

His face buried against Fell’s neck, Swap cried out, releasing his magic onto Fell’s hand and staining the bed sheets. “Ah—Fell… I love you… I l-love you…” Swap trailed off into a string of incoherent whispers and gasps. The words alone were enough to tip Fell over the edge, and he groaned as he came, losing himself in the delirium as he breathed in the scent, the feeling, and the taste of Swap, his soul threatening to burst through his ribcage as it pounded heavily.

They both lay for a few minutes, still wrapped in each other’s arms, their combined magic smattered over their bones. Swap’s heavy breathing sent Fell’s mind into a deep lull of euphoric peace, and he let his eyes fall closed as he pulled Swap closer. “You’re perfect,” he breathed. “You’re fucking amazing.”

Swap’s chest heaved slightly with gentle laughter, and he pressed a light kiss to Fell’s neck. “I can’t vouch for that, but… you’re almost as good at making love as you are at fucking.”

Fell huffed, giving Swap a gentle shove, but he was struggling to hide his smile. “I’m excellent at both,” he mumbled, and Swap grinned. They were silent for a moment, and the pleasant haze of Fell’s mind began to clear as he gazed at the ceiling. “You know,” he murmured, resting his hands on his still heaving chest, “if we’re going to… be in love and all that crap—”

“You always had a knack for pillow talk, Fell.”

“— _then,”_ Fell continued, pointedly ignoring Swap’s jab but shooting him a glare nonetheless, “there’s something we should do.”

Swap shuffled closer, slinging an arm over Fell’s chest and resting his skull against his shoulder. As much as Fell enjoyed being intimate with Swap, he couldn’t refute that this was his favourite part. The stuff that came after. The way everything seemed so serene around them, the closeness he felt to the other skeleton. His soul still emitted a pale crimson glow through his shirt, and he couldn’t discern whether it was caused by their recent activities, or just the simple fact that he felt so safe and warm with Swap curled up against him. “You suggesting we fuck after we make love, to balance it out?” Swap asked, breaking the peaceful silence.

“Ugh, asshole, _no_ ,” Fell grumbled, elbowing Swap in the ribs. “And stop saying ‘make love’—you’re wearing it out.” Swap was looking all too pleased with himself, grinning up at Fell with that teasing glint in his eye. Fell gave a lingering sigh, shaking his head. “I think we should…” he trailed off, swallowing heavily. There was still a small part of him that seemed to be fighting this. Even in this moment—this perfect moment—he felt too vulnerable. Too open and exposed.

Trust wasn’t something that came easy to him. Letting himself feel something more than wariness, or that protective urge that seemed to ignite any time he was around people he cared about—was strange to him. It felt… almost wrong. Out of place. Unfamiliar.

But at the same time, it was exhilarating. The feeling of exposure was accompanied by one of safety. The fear of the unknown also conjured an excitement within him—an almost intoxicating need to further explore this, to bear his soul, and just let everything go.

“This is a very long dramatic pause.” Swap’s amused tone broke Fell out of his reverie. He glowered down at his irksome counterpart, who was still smirking, his hands tracing idle patterns over Fell’s ribs. “But please, continue to hold me in suspense.”

Fell rolled his eye-lights, but didn’t push Swap away this time. In truth, his proximity brought a sliver of comfort in the face of something Fell still wasn’t entirely certain about. “The rules…” he said, quietly. “I think we should…”

He still felt hesitant. In spite of everything, he was still clinging to the rules in some way. Even though he felt no real desire to abide by them, they provided that stability and structure he so desperately needed. They almost allowed him to believe that this wasn’t real. That he was still safely guarded behind his walls. And he loathed the small part of him that still wished he was. The part of him that was still afraid.

He almost flinched when he felt Swap lacing their fingers together. He glanced down to find Swap looking at him with sincerity, that small playful smirk still present. “I think we should, too,” he said, his hands stilling where they were rested on Fell’s ribcage. “Are you ready?”

For a moment, Fell couldn’t speak. He hated that he still had doubts about this. That he was almost reluctant to allow himself to feel this happiness—that deep down, he still felt that he didn’t deserve it. But as Swap observed him patiently, squeezing Fell’s hand slightly, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Nodding, he said, “Yes. Yes—let’s break the rules.”

Swap sat up, grinning. “Awesome. I can think of one or two I’d like to smash into pieces—but, uh…” He grimaced slightly, giving Fell a dubious look. “You do remember rule number one, right?”

Fell frowned, nodding slowly with a scowl. “I do recall.”

“And you really want to tell them?”

Fell closed his eyes, clutching Swap’s hand a little more tightly. As much as he’d rather avoid this impending conversation, in his mind he knew it would help cement this for the part of him that still had its doubts. “Yes.” He sighed, already feeling the early signs of regret creeping up on him. “As much as it pains me—yes, let’s tell them.”

 

****

 

“Ya owe me twenty G, Berry. Cough up.”

Fell and Swap exchanged a look of incredulity, before glancing back down at their brothers. Blue was looking miffed, arms folded across his chest as he scowled at Red, who leaned back in his chair, placing his feet on the kitchen table. But—somehow—neither of them seemed surprised at the news Fell and Swap had just broken. “You—you _knew?”_ Fell spluttered in bewilderment.

Red glanced at him with a shrug, looking all too pleased with himself, gold tooth glinting as he grinned. “C’mon, Boss. ‘Coolin’ off in Snowdin Forest’? Pfft, heatin’ up’s more like it, am I right?” That earned him a rough smack to the back of the skull, and he grimaced, rubbing it as Blue reluctantly handed over the coins. “’sides. I saw the look on yer face when ya saw ‘im in the livin’ room this mornin’—ya don’ even give me that look.”

Fell frowned at his brother, deadpan. “Considering our involvement with each other is not romantic, Red—one would certainly hope not.”

Red was still looking frustratingly self-satisfied, continually shooting Blue smug glances. “So, how long’ve you two been datin’ then? Me ‘n Blue started ta notice stuff ‘bout a month ago, but I know what yer like, Boss. Takes more than a few trips ta the bar to get ya ta warm up.”

Fell noticed Swap sending him an awkward glance, before clearing his throat. “Well, um, we haven’t quite been… dating.”

To Fell’s surprise, Blue seemed to perk up at this, turning his attention to his brother. “You weren’t dating?” he asked, eye sockets narrowing slowly. “Then… what were you doing?” Blue was observing Swap very astutely, and Fell frowned in suspicion.

Swap was looking flustered however, glancing at Fell in a silent plea. But Fell was about as eager to answer Blue’s question as Swap was, and held his silence, giving Swap a deliberate look. Scowling, Swap turned back to his brother, mouth tugging into a very forced looking grin. “Well. Uh, we’ve just been…”

“You were sleeping together, weren’t you?” Blue asked, a grin on his face.

Swap spluttered, looking scandalised. “N-no! Well… yeah. Yeah, we were. Just a little.”

“Almost on a daily basis,” Fell murmured, earning him a shove from Swap. He noticed his brother’s face falling, horror crossing his features. “Is there a problem, Red?”

Red shook his head, swallowing as his cheekbones paled. Blue glanced at him, suddenly seeming very pleased with himself. “I’ll take that back!” he declared, gathering up the coins he’d just handed Red. “And—I believe you owe me a date!”

Beside him, Fell saw Swap startle slightly, his eye sockets going wide as he stared at his brother. “You—you and Red are dating?” he asked in disbelief.

Blue’s grin broadened, and he threw an arm around a very disgruntled looking Red’s shoulders. “Not yet! But given the outcome of our bet—we will be very soon!”

Fell couldn’t help the smile that crept onto his face as he regarded the two shorter skeletons. Swap still looked utterly astounded, gaze frantically darting between Red and Blue. But Fell folded his arms, smiling at Blue. “What were the terms of your bet?”

“Red was under the impression that you two were dating,” Blue explained, shooting Red a grin, and receiving a glower in return. “But I knew that Papy would never be so direct—I believed your arrangement was purely physical. And I was right!” Blue beamed. “So now Red has to go on a date with me!”

Fell smirked, unable to deny that he was rather impressed with the little skeleton. His gaze flickered to Swap, who was looking a little dumbstruck, seeming unsure what to make of the situation. “Well, technically—we are dating now,” Fell said, carefully sliding his hand into Swap’s. The way Swap’s fingers curled—perhaps instinctively—around his own, made his soul flutter.

“Ha! So I _was_ right!” Red declared, grinning at Blue. Fell could hear the uncertainty in his brother’s voice, and he clacked his teeth together with a shake of his head.

“When exactly did this bet take place, brother?”

Red’s smile faded, and he shot Fell a glare. “A month ago. Not that it’s any of yer business, _Boss_.”

Fell raised a brow bone in dubiety, placing his free hand on his hip. “We were not dating a month ago, therefore, as a completely impartial third-party judge, I declare that Blue is the winner of this bet.”

Blue clapped his hands together gleefully, giving Red a playful nudge. Red was looking more embarrassed than upset, truth be told, and Fell could see hints of cherry colouring his cheekbones. “Yer such a dick, Boss,” he grumbled, scowling at the floor.

“Oh, come now, Red. It was hardly a fair bet in the first place.”

“Exactly!” Red cried, exasperated. “That’s what I was trying to—”

“Twenty gold in exchange for a date with you?” Fell tutted. “That’s hardly worth five G. What does Blue even get out of that? It was a win-win situation for you—I can hardly say the same for him.”

Blue stifled a small giggle as Red fumed silently, shooting daggers at his brother. “Why you let him fuck you is beyond me,” he said to Swap, giving him a pointed look.

Swap grinned, and Fell startled slightly when he casually threw an arm around his shoulders. “Actually, I’m the one who did most of the fucking.”

Fell growled, shoving Swap away. “That’s a lie and you know it!” Swap shrugged, Fell’s outrage only seeming to entertain him.

“I suppose you’re right. I did tell you to go fuck yourself an awful lot.”

“Enough cursing!” Blue scolded, pinning Swap with a scathing glare, immediately silencing his brother. But a small smile still twitched at the corner of Swap’s mouth, and he gave Fell’s shoulders a light squeeze. Blue turned his attention back to Red, who was looking a little put-out, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, smiling. “Come, Red, I believe we have a date to plan!”

Red swallowed, glancing at Fell, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. Fell supposed it would be hypocritical of him to judge Red for it, but his brother had never exactly been receptive to affection—the fact that he’d even agreed to the bet with Blue bewildered Fell. Still, he could see the fondness that crept into Red’s expression when he looked at Blue, and couldn’t help but think that this might actually be good for him. Red turned to Blue, and Fell could tell the smile on his face wasn’t forced, a genuine tenderness in his eyes as he shrugged. “Alright, Berry, but I’m warnin’ ya, my standards are through the roof.”

Fell scoffed derisively, more than ready to refute his brother’s claim, but Blue merely snickered slightly, shaking his head as he grinned at Red, guiding him towards the Swap brothers’ living room. “I know you do! That’s why you are going on this date with me!”

Fell watched as they left the kitchen, Blue chatting animatedly about potential dating locations, and he couldn’t stop the faint swell of warmth that formed in his soul. Once they were gone, he turned to Swap, who was still looking a little aghast. “Our brothers?” Swap said, shaking his head. “Who would’ve guessed?”

“I suppose they must have been thinking the same thing.” Fell smirked at Swap, who rolled his eyes. “They’re more switched on than I thought,” he admitted. “Especially Blue—that was rather perceptive of him.” Fell gave Swap a deliberate look, Blue’s words about the lazier skeleton’s inability to be direct prickling at the back of his mind.

“Heh, yeah. He’s way too cool.” Swap avoided Fell’s gaze, his hands shoved in his pockets. They were both silent for a moment, Fell’s scrutiny not wavering as he regarded Swap.

“So,” he said at last, tone questioning, bordering on accusatory, “was asking me on an actual date instead of asking me to fuck you ever actually on your agenda?”

Swap chuckled, blushing slightly as he buried his hands deeper in his pockets. “Heh, uh… guess not? Didn’t really think dating was your style.”

Fell smiled, looping an arm around Swap’s waist and drawing him close. “Well, I can’t deny our arrangement was rather gratifying.” Swap returned his smile, face still glowing with a faint tint of magic. “Any more rules you’d like to break?”

Swap considered for a moment, before a grin stretched across his features. “Oh, I can think of one.” Fell raised a brow bone in question, and Swap leaned closer, his voice dropping. “Number seven.”

Fell paused for a moment, trying to recall the rule. Then it hit him, and he released a surprised laugh. “The tape? I’d almost forgotten about that. I thought you were embarrassed about it?”

Swap scoffed, looking incredulous. “Embarrassed? Oh please, Fell, I know I look good in bed.”

Fell frowned, a little surprised. “Then why—?”

Swap shrugged, making a non-committal noise. “Eh, figured it might be a bit too… personal, y’know? The whole point of the arrangement was for me to get you out of my system—wouldn’t exactly help if one of us was reliving our heated passion every night.”

Fell huffed in disapproval. “Please, I’d hardly watch it every night. Every second night, at most.” Swap grinned, and Fell shook his head, sighing. “And maybe during the day,” he added under his breath, just loud enough for Swap to hear.

Swap’s laughter was light, and Fell couldn’t stop himself from cracking a small smile. “So, you game?” Swap asked, hand resting on Fell’s iliac crest—more out of affection than teasing, it seemed.

Fell nodded decisively, placing a hand on his hip. “Of course I am. I do look excellent in leather.”

 

****

 

“Wow, Fell, you really do look good in leather.” Fell blushed, curling in on himself slightly where he was seated on the bed. Swap grinned at him, adjusting the laptop screen so that it was facing him. “And I don’t look half bad either. Especially not with my cock buried in your—”

“Okay, okay, enough!” Fell cried, burying his face in his hands. “I can’t believe you convinced me to do this—this is so…”

“Perverted?” Swap suggested, grinning as his gaze flicked back to the screen.

Fell shook his head, groaning. “Embarrassing! Why did I even agree to make this ridiculous film with you in the first place?”

Swap regarded him for a moment in silence, appearing amused. Slowly, he reached a hand to cup Fell’s jaw, gently running his thumb over the edges of his filed teeth. “I was doing you a favour, remember?”

Fell grimaced, though the memory was a little comical. “You were helping me get back at Mettaton,” he recalled, his frown slowly morphing into a smirk. “It was a brilliant plan, actually.”

Swap grinned. “I am a maniacal genius.” Fell rolled his eyes, turning back to the computer, where Swap had slipped a hand beneath the skimpy underwear Fell was wearing. “You and Mettaton…” Swap said slowly, sounding hesitant. Fell glanced up to see him frowning slightly. “When you two were dating, was it…?”

Fell scoffed, shaking his head with a small laugh. “’Dating’ is probably a very generous way of putting it—in fact, our relationship hardly differed from my arrangement with you, just without all the formalities. I suppose it’s a lot easier to free-reign it when there’s no danger of actual attraction.”

Swap grinned, and Fell couldn’t help but notice the hint of relief in the expression. “So, you ever ‘date’ anyone before him?” he asked. His gaze was fixed on the computer screen, but the genuineness behind the question was given away by the occasional flicker of his eyes back to Fell.

“Not in the literal sense, no,” Fell replied. “It’s not really… done, in Underfell.”

“Guess you and I are in the same boat, then.”

Fell gave a small snicker. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”

Swap looked at him, his outrage betrayed by the amusement in his eyes. “What are you trying to say? That I’m not romantic enough to date?”

“Swap. You asked me out by proposing we fuck each other… _platonically.”_

Swap crossed his arms, something awfully akin to smugness creeping into his expression. “And? It worked, didn’t it?”

Fell rolled his eye-lights, shoving Swap away as he tried to lean in. “Yes. I’m completely smitten.”

Swap chuckled quietly, resting his head on Fell’s shoulder. The act was simple, yet somehow, it lit that tiny flame of warmth in Fell’s soul that always seemed to accompany Swap’s smaller gestures. Slowly, he wrapped an arm around Swap’s shoulders, drawing him closer. He could feel Swap’s cool breaths against his mandible, and he let his eyes drift closed, relaxing into the moment. “See?” Swap whispered. “I told you I was romantic.”

Fell’s eyes snapped open, and he frowned down at Swap, deadpan. “We’re watching our sex tape,” he commented.

“Shit, this isn’t what’s considered romantic?” Swap sighed, dipping his head in a dramatic display of remorse. “I’m gonna have to take another look at that advanced dating manual.”

Fell chuckled quietly, looking away with a small shake of his head. His gaze landed on the computer screen, and he flushed slightly. “You really destroyed me, didn’t you?” he remarked, trying not to sound impressed by the lewd acts unfurling on the computer screen.

Swap smirked, shifting closer to press himself against Fell’s chest. “I did, didn’t I? Wouldn’t be opposed to a repeat, would you?”

Fell flicked Swap’s cheekbone, earning him muffled yelp of surprise. “I’ll consider it.” His eyes wandered back to the computer, and—upon realising the point they’d reached in the video (after all, he had become very familiar with it during his editing)—he turned to Swap, leaning close with a grin. “You know, if you were hungry, you should’ve just asked,” he murmured, gesturing towards the screen, where Swap was biting down— _very_ hard—on his fist. “I would have been more than happy to let you—”

Swap’s gaze snapped up, eyes going wide as they landed on the screen. “W-what?”

“I must admit,” Fell purred, pressing his teeth against Swap’s cheekbone, which had slowly turned a deep shade of gold, “you do have a very impressive bite. You should let me sample it sometime.”

With a strained noise of embarrassment, Swap reached forward, quickly slamming the laptop shut. Fell grinned at him, feeling extremely satisfied at the bashful expression he’d managed to coax onto Swap’s face. Thus far, the embarrassment at the tape had felt awfully one-sided. “I was rather curious as to how you managed to last longer than me…” Carefully, he lifted Swap’ hand, tracing over his fingers, which still bore the faint lines inflicted by Swap’s attempts at quelling his arousal during the making of their film. “Your appetite is apparently insatiable in more ways than one.”

Despite the burning magic on his cheekbones, Swap released a stifled snort of laughter, trying to turn away. “You obviously have no idea how good you actually look in leather,” he said, failing to yank his hand out of Fell’s grasp. “And I couldn’t exactly finish before you—we were on camera!”

“Hmm…” Fell hummed as he nipped at the thin bones of Swap’s fingers. “Was I really that good?”

“Oh, shut up, you know you were,” Swap chided. He glanced at Fell, a dubious smirk turning the corners of his mouth. “How did you even notice that anyway?” Leaning in, he pressed his teeth to Fell’s cheekbone, murmuring, “Exactly how many times did you watch the tape during your ‘editing process’, _Fell?”_

Fell blushed profusely, letting Swap’s hand drop as the other skeleton chuckled. “No comment,” he said, stiffly, nudging Swap away with his elbow. But Swap quickly shuffled back, wrapping his arms around Fell’s ribcage and nuzzling against the nape of his neck.

“Well, I quite enjoyed breaking that rule—any others on your mind?”

“Well, I certainly won’t be asking you to break rule number nine,” Fell said, unable to hide his sneer as he regarded Swap.

Swap rolled his eyes, grinning. “Hm. If I recall, _I_ was the victim of—” he gave a small cough “—a lack of oral reciprocation when it came to that one.”

“And I paid you back for that… small oversight,” Fell said tightly. “ _Thoroughly_.”

“I don’t suppose I can get you to budge on rule number ten?” Swap looked hopeful, and Fell almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

“Absolutely not,” he said resolutely. “I may be in love with you, but under no circumstances does that mean I’m putting up with that filthy habit of yours.”

“…don’t even have lungs…” Swap muttered under his breath, scowling as he picked at a loose thread on the bed sheets. “Alright, what other rules do you wanna break, then? I guess the three ‘golden rules’ are already out the window, so that just leaves…”

“I want to break number four,” Fell interrupted, his voice dropping almost to a whisper. He found himself struggling to meet Swap’s gaze, almost ashamed of himself.

“The one about… soul stuff.” It wasn’t a question, and Fell could hear the sudden shift in Swap’s tone. They were both silent for a few moments, the mood seeming to grow heavier. Even for a Tale verse monster, Fell knew anything involving the soul was particularly intimate—even more so when the participants were close to each other.

No one had ever seen Fell’s soul, not even his brother. And a month ago, the idea of revealing his soul to another monster would never even have occurred to him. He’d mostly thrown the rule into the mix as an afterthought—when rules had been so easy to toss around. But now… it felt like a step he had to take. Something he needed to do in order to overcome his doubts and anxieties.

Swap rested a hand on his arm, looking him in the eye without a hint of his usual teasing or humour. “Fell, are you sure? I know that it’s… I mean—Blue’s the only one who’s ever seen mine, I—”

“We don’t have to do this,” Fell said quickly, but Swap immediately shook his head.

“No—no, I want to… I really want to.” He fell silent, looking contemplative. One of his hands, still tracing the pattern of Fell’s ribs, inched towards his sternum, resting there for a moment. “I know you’re not exactly the type to—heh—bear your soul.” Fell rolled his eyes-lights, but ignored the joke. “I just… I want you to be certain.”

Fell didn’t speak for a moment, observing Swap in silence. Gradually, his hand crept to the centre of Swap’s ribcage, where his soul would appear if he conjured it. In the quiet, stillness of the room, he could almost feel its warmth, the peacefully charged magic flowing through Swap’s bones. Taking a long, decisive breath, he nodded, fingers curling into a fist where they were rested on Swap’s sternum. “I’m certain.” Fell warmed at the flicker of relief in Swap’s eyes—he wanted this too. The thought sent an easy wave of calm over him, and he leaned back on the bed, relaxing as Swap shuffled closer, hand never leaving Fell’s chest.

Pressing a soft, but lingering kiss to Fell’s teeth, Swap whispered, “I love you, Fell.” Closing his eyes, Fell allowed the words to sink in. It all still felt so surreal—like at any moment the harmony within him would devolve back into chaos. “Relax,” Swap breathed, moving to straddle Fell’s hips, his mouth trailing down Fell’s jaw. Fell did his best to oblige, allowing his arms to go limp at his sides, trying to ease the ever-present tension in his bones. He felt vulnerable—unprepared for an impending attack, even though he _knew_ it wouldn’t come. Letting go wasn’t a luxury living in Underfell permitted, and the feeling was strange. Fell was completely at Swap’s mercy.

He flinched at the sudden feeling of Swap’s fingers on his ribs. “Don’t open your eyes,” Swap whispered, but he halted his hands nonetheless. Fell was rigid for a moment, the tension returning to his limbs. “Is this okay?” Swap had begun to trace gentle circles over Fell’s sternum, the movements slow but deliberate. Fell nodded wordlessly, forcing himself to focus on nothing but the feeling of Swap’s fingers, the comforting aura the touches emanated. He gradually began to calm down, even when Swap’s fingers trailed lower, dipping beneath his shirt, where Fell had yet to conjure his soul.

“Are you sure you still want this?” Swap asked, his mouth close to Fell’s, his soft breaths shifting the still air. Fell opened his eyes, meeting Swap’s golden ones, which were filled with unfaltering trust. Fell swallowed, nodding firmly in an attempt to crush the doubts still swirling within him. Swap held his gaze for a second longer, before dropping his hand to where the red glow of Fell’s soul shone through his shirt.

Fell could sense the proximity of Swap’s fingers, stirring the air around the crimson organ. Swap slowly lifted Fell’s shirt, pulling it over his head and discarding it, before returning to his ribcage, fingers tracing over the scarred bones as he reached his soul. His fingers brushed the edge of it—the touch so light Fell almost didn’t register it. But still, the contact was too much, and he flinched violently, grasping Swap’s wrist and yanking it away from his chest. _“N-no,”_ he gasped, his hand shaking slightly where he held Swap in a steel grip. “I—I _can’t.”_ Fell was too afraid to meet Swap’s eyes—afraid of what his alternate’s expression might convey. Was he angry? Hurt? Was he going to ignore Fell’s wishes and touch his soul anyway?

A gentle hand came to rest under Fell’s chin, slowly tilting his skull upward so that he was forced to look at Swap. “It’s okay,” Swap murmured, leaning forward to press his teeth lightly to Fell’s forehead. Fell remained motionless, his soul still hovering in his ribcage, the glow pale and uncertain. But Swap’s hands were nowhere near it, and Fell was able to relax—just a little. Sitting up, Swap pulled his hoodie over his head, revealing his pale bones. Fell’s breath almost stuttered at the sight. The thin, fragile appearance of Swap’s ribs had always escaped his notice, but right now, he looked as delicate as porcelain, ready to shatter before Fell’s eyes.

Still, Swap made no move to hide himself, or flinch away when Fell reached up, pressing his fingers to the centre of Swap’s ribcage, where the faint glow of his soul radiated. His breath caught as the golden organ came into sight, burning like a small flame in the dark room. “You can take it,” Swap said, hand coming to rest over Fell’s, guiding him towards his soul. Fell glanced up, eyes going wide with hesitance.

“Swap, I—I don’t know if I should…”

“It’s alright.” Swap’s touch was gentle, his movements slow as he trailed Fell’s hand downward, pausing just before the rougher skeleton’s sharp fingers reached his soul. Fell’s own soul pulsed, mesmerised by the sheer radiance of Swap’s. Deliberately prolonging his movements, Fell carefully enclosed it, hearing Swap’s breathing falter slightly as he did so. He looked up, and Swap gave him a steady nod. Slowly withdrawing his hand, Fell cradled the golden soul.

Fell could feel his own soul flickering wildly, as if trying to escape his ribcage, but he was too enthralled by the delicate object in his hand to give it much notice. Swap’s soul was a lot like his bones—smooth, pale, and fragile-looking, like stained glass. He could see the deep golden magic swirling beneath the surface, charged with vehement compassion, and Fell’s soul strained to connect with it.

He almost jumped when Swap’s fingertips brushed his ribs, breaking him out of his trance. Swap was looking down at him patiently, though Fell could see the tell-tale signs of yearning beginning to ignite in his eyes. He noticed Swap’s gaze flickering down to his crimson soul, an unspoken question in the gesture. Fell took a deep breath, before nodding slowly. The brush of Swap’s fingers against his soul sent a shiver through Fell, and he held his breath as Swap gently withdrew it from his chest. Cupping it delicately in his hand, Swap met Fell’s gaze, as if checking for any reluctance.

But Fell wasn’t looking at Swap. His gaze was fixed on his own blood red soul. It was so different from Swap’s—in more ways than just the colour. Where the surface of Swap’s soul was smooth and clear, Fell’s was hard and coarse, like roughly cut stone. There were thin cracks across it, and the light it emitted was dim—almost pitiful—in comparison to the pure splendour of Swap’s. Tears prickled at Fell’s eye sockets, and he looked away, disgusted. “Fell…” Swap’s fingers traced the edge of his jaw, trying to turn his head.

But Fell obstinately kept his gaze averted, the sight of his soul giving rise to overwhelming revulsion. “Don’t—” he managed to choke, shaking his head, “it—it’s hideous.” Fell could still feel Swap’s own soul in his hand, pulsing gently. He tightened his grip on it slightly—but still remained gentle, afraid of shattering the delicate organ—bringing it to his chest. “I—I don’t deserve—”

Fell gasped, gaze shooting back up to Swap to see his counterpart pressing his thumb against the rough surface of Fell’s soul. It wasn’t hard enough to be painful, but Fell could _feel_ it so deeply, he felt ready to collapse. “Swap, gah—”

“Don’t you dare, Fell,” Swap said, tone dropping low. “Don’t you dare tell me that you don’t deserve love—that you don’t deserve to feel happy.” Fell couldn’t hold Swap’s gaze, and tried to turn his head away, only to be stopped as Swap’s hand cupped his cheek. His golden eyes were almost blazing as brightly as his soul, and they were full of sincere determination. “I love you—damn it, Fell, I need you to believe that.” Swap closed his eyes, bringing Fell’s soul to his teeth, and pressing a light kiss to its surface. “I’ll _make_ you believe me if I have to.”

Fell was quivering—whether from the crushing shame at seeing his own soul, or at the unmarred devotion in Swap’s voice, he couldn’t quite tell. A startled gasp escaped him as Swap ran his tongue over the scarlet soul, the feeling somehow both overwhelming and intangible. More than anything, the act possessed something so astoundingly benevolent—the intention completely pure and unburdened by doubt or disgust. Fell whimpered, a thin crack appearing down the centre of his hardened soul. He could feel Swap’s breaths against the surface of it, warm and comforting—safe.

Swap traced a single phalange down the crack, and Fell shuddered, his toes curling and his fingers tightening around Swap’s soul, which shone in his hand. Swap leaned in then, pressing his teeth against Fell’s, fingers still running smoothly down his soul. Fell failed to stifle a sob, even as Swap’s tongue swept a delicate trail across his teeth, lavishing Fell in adoration. When Swap withdrew, Fell tensed at the sight of his soul. The crack had deepened, revealing the magic beneath the hardened surface. It was bright, untainted, churning zealously as Swap dipped a finger into the fracture.

The moment he came into contact with the translucent crimson magic, Fell crumbled. Releasing a choked cry, he succumbed to the utter euphoria of Swap’s touch, charged with a love so intense, Fell feared his soul might shatter. “That’s it, Fell,” Swap breathed, pressing their bodies together, wrapping his arms around Fell as he pressed past the thick, hard outer layer of Fell’s soul. “Don’t hold back, don’t shut me out anymore—I’m here.”

Fell clutched onto Swap as he allowed the glorious bliss to consume him, drowning out everything but the close touch of Swap’s body against his own. He’d never felt so naked and vulnerable, utterly exposed and defenceless—yet completely at ease, as if all his troubles had evaporated, leaving only this warm safety, untarnished by any doubts or worries.

For the first time in what may have been a lifetime, Fell didn’t feel alone.

 

****

 

Long after Swap had drifted off to sleep, Fell lay awake. And for once, it wasn’t because of nightmares, or the constant feeling of threat looming over him, or those intrusive thoughts, ticking away in his mind. In fact, he felt completely at peace. His arms tightened slightly around Swap, and his still-glowing soul warmed a little more as Swap unconsciously pressed closer to him. He could feel the gentle rise and fall of Swap’s chest, the soft sound of his breaths, the scent of his magic, still lingering in the air.

It wasn’t perfect, but by the stars, Fell couldn’t imagine anything better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know what to say to all of you. If you've reached the end of this (long af) chapter, then I suppose another big thank you is in order! I'm so grateful for every single person that took the time to read this! I really hope you all enjoyed it - I definitely enjoyed writing it!  
> Also, since I'm obsessed with things being tied up in neat little packages, here are all the rules, listed in order. 
> 
> 1\. No telling our brothers  
> 2\. No sleeping in the same bed  
> 3\. No getting attached  
> 4\. No soul stuff  
> 5\. No tying me (Fell) up  
> 6\. No doing it in the kitchen  
> 7\. Don’t rewatch the tape  
> 8\. No coming on my (Swap's) face without warning  
> 9\. Always reciprocate when it comes to oral  
> 10\. No smoking before or after sex  
> 11\. No getting drunk before sex  
> 12\. No sex in public  
> 13\. No more leaving decisions to the universe  
> 14\. No asking personal questions  
> 15\. No keeping things to yourself (Fell - emotionally pent up edgy bastard)  
> 16\. No falling in love
> 
>  
> 
> (Even if literally no one wants this, I just needed to put it here (((lowkey making sure I didn't accidentally skip a number or something???))))  
> Honestly? They were doomed from chapter one.  
> Thank you all again! I can't say it enough, but your support is really what helps me get through the long, tiresome chapters.
> 
> Come say hi to me on my tumblr! It's [@alicedragons](https://alicedragons.tumblr.com/) (NSFW so 18+ only please!)


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